The team at the Cottbus women’s refuge consists of trained specialists from various fields of work (social pedagogues, educators, etc.). Thanks to the multi-professional set-up, it is possible to respond to the individual needs of the women and children. Under the guiding principle of ‘helping people to help themselves’, various methods are used in the context of empowerment, case management and resource-orientation. The range of tasks includes psychosocial counselling in individual and group settings, stabilisation and promotion of the mother-child relationship, support in coming to terms with the violence experienced and in developing a new perspective on life.

In 1990, committed citizens from Cottbus founded the ‘Frauen helfen Frauen’ (Women help women) association. They wanted to set an example in the fight against violence and provide the urgently needed support services for the region. With the help of the association, the women’s refuge in Cottbus was able to open just one year later. As the city’s population was sensitised to the fight against domestic violence in the following years and more and more men turned to the association for support, it was renamed ‘Wir gegen Gewalt’ (We against violence) in November 2016.