Security and protection against violence

We GRÜNE want to make Wiesbaden's public squares lively, safe and welcoming. We strengthen security and cohesion in all districts through space management, social support and targeted support for youth institutions. Public spaces should be well lit, barrier-free and accessible.

We reject the extension of video observation; Security comes from living places and social presence. We make places that are perceived as unsafe today more attractive through new opportunities for use – for example, through gastronomy, cultural offerings or communal meeting places. This creates spaces in which people like to come together, the diversity of urban life becomes visible and social security grows. A good example is Mauritius Square.

At major events, we want to ensure safety through glass bans, ‘safe celebrations’ and free drug checking. In this way, all people – whether families, young people or older citizens – can move freely and securely.

With an active care of existing quarters, we want to avoid vacancy and unlit areas. We want the public space to be maintained and districts with problems to be upgraded structurally. In addition, we want to better illuminate stops and mobility stations. For this purpose, a lighting concept is to be developed that thinks both city-wide and environmentally friendly. This also strengthens the sense of security. A reporting platform should make unsafe places visible.

The project ‘Luisa is here!’ has been successful in Wiesbaden for some time. We want to maintain and expand this project, so that we create more security and attention in the Wiesbaden nightlife, in bars, clubs and at the Wiesbaden festivals. So that every city festival in Wiesbaden is a place where every person can quickly get security. Because cross-border, invasive and discriminatory behaviour has no place anywhere.

In addition, the city is already cooperating with Heimwegtelefon e.V., a Germany-wide service that accompanies callers by phone at night if they feel unsafe on their way home. This offer is available on Sundays to Thursdays from 9 p.m. to midnight and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 p.m. under the number 030 12074182. We are committed to further establishing such protection concepts and making them accessible to all.

So that women can safely return home at any time, we want to bring the model of the women's night taxis to Wiesbaden. In Stuttgart, this model has been around for 20 years and is successful. In order for everyone to be able to afford the taxi ride, we want to develop a model through which women travelling alone receive a subsidy to drive home with such a taxi.

We GRÜNE are committed to ensuring that women in Wiesbaden find protection quickly and easily. To this end, we want to expand women's shelters and counselling services, support local institutions and secure human and financial resources. Protection must not depend on the wallet: We ensure that women seeking protection do not have to bear their own costs.

At the same time, we want to promote low-threshold offers and prevention work so that violence is detected and prevented at an early stage. With this commitment, we actively contribute to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and strengthen the protection and safety of women in our city.

In order for the Istanbul Convention to be implemented consistently in Wiesbaden, the necessary human resources are also needed. The local coordination body for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention has started work. However, it is important that the financial resources for this are increased so that implementation can proceed as quickly as possible.

Forced prostitution is a human rights crime. Therefore, shelters should be set up to take in people from forced prostitution and give them a protective place.

We support people so that they do not become homeless. We want to overcome homelessness with the housing-first approach. Where this is not possible or desired by those affected, we provide sufficient sleeping places and medical care.

People who have fallen into homelessness primarily need an apartment to address problems such as addiction, unemployment, mental health problems, or the like.

We rely on a city police force close to the citizens and a municipal order office, which act fairly, respectfully and without armament. Regular foot and bicycle strips, preventive presence and protective measures for emergency services strengthen the sense of security of the population. We reject the introduction of pepper spray guns. In addition, we want to reverse the visual alignment of the Public Order Office with the police in order to keep the different tasks and mandates of the authorities clearly recognizable.

Our concern – a city police and a public order office with awareness: The city police and the public order office are to work cooperatively with social institutions and civil society institutions and are to be trained in a manner that is sensitive to discrimination. Special training courses on queer hostility, right-wing extremism, domestic violence and psychological crises are intended to ensure that emergency services act professionally. Decentralized structures, regular external evaluations and a visible culture of error promote trust and fight racism.

At the same time, the aim is to protect employees from verbal and physical attacks and to support them in reporting procedures, for example through a reporting system and a municipal unit entitled ‘Violence against rescue and emergency services’.

We develop and implement a master plan on security that systematically analyses the causes of crime in Wiesbaden and includes both regulatory and social measures. The aim is to tailor measures to different districts and public areas. For this purpose, data and testimonials from the police, the public order office, social institutions and civil society institutions as well as the working groups Public Space and #Where brought together. Based on the analysis, we specifically promote preventive projects, strengthen decentralized structures and, if necessary, initiate further regulatory partnerships in the districts. In this way, we create security concepts that have an effective, cooperative and sustainable effect and noticeably increase the sense of security of all citizens.

We have established a network in Wiesbaden to implement the Istanbul Convention. More than 80 actors from administration, politics and aid systems work together to prevent, detect and effectively support violence against women. The network strengthens exchanges, promotes coordinated actions and sends a clear signal: Wiesbaden takes the protection of women seriously and ensures that international standards of the Istanbul Convention become a reality in the city.

We are committed to ensuring that women in Wiesbaden are safe when going out. The ‘Is Luisa here?’ campaign allows women to discreetly seek help in participating bars, clubs and public institutions when they feel threatened or uncomfortable. We initiated the campaign, ensured visibility and extended the project to other public institutions and provided training for the staff there. In this way, we strengthen the protection of women, prevent violence and promote a safe, respectful coexistence in the city.

In addition, the city cooperates with Heimwegtelefon e.V., a Germany-wide service that accompanies callers by phone at night if they feel unsafe on their way home. This offer is available on Sundays to Thursdays from 9 p.m. to midnight and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 p.m. under the number 030 12074182. We are committed to further establishing such protection concepts and making them accessible to all.

We have ensured that the city has hired a trauma therapist who performs outreach social work in the field of prostitution and offers exit assistance. Since this election period, the Women's Unit has also successfully taken action against illegal prostitution in holiday apartments and hotels. The Wiesbaden model is best practice for other municipalities.

We have initiated a symposium on violence against LGBTQIAI* people. Professionals and organisations exchange views to improve protection measures and strengthen the prevention of violence and discrimination.

In Wiesbaden, we created a pilot project "Drug Checking" to better protect consumers from contaminated drugs. At selected Wiesbaden party events, drugs such as cannabis are examined by experts for contaminants and at the same time prevention offers are strengthened. The pilot project should also include testing other substances in later phases in order to be able to protect consumers in the best possible way.

We have also been involved in Wiesbaden applying for a conscious and controlled sale of cannabis in pharmacies as part of the model project. This procedure is still ongoing. However, a responsible drug policy also means actively creating prevention and support services in order to protect consumers in the best possible way.