German Women Often Victims of Domestic Violence

Every fourth woman in Germany has been sexually or physically assaulted by her partner, according to a government-sponsored study released Tuesday. Women who were planning to leave their partners were more likely to suffer abuse, according to German Family Minister Renate Schmidt. German women with Eastern European or Turkish parents or grandparents were among the most affected by violence, according to the study. Around half of the immigrant women said they had experienced sexual or physical violence at the hands of their partners. Germany's Integration Commissioner said the country needed to expand violence prevention services for immigrant women. The Women's Research Center at the University of Bielefeld surveyed 10,000 women between the ages of 16 and 85.