Safer on the road at night: cooperation with the Heimwegtelefon launched

Dark paths feel uncomfortable in the evening and at night, in railroad underpasses you speed up your step and hope that there is no one at the end of the tunnel. Women and girls in particular are familiar with these so-called fearful spaces and try to avoid them as much as possible. But if there is no money left for a cab in the evening or the next bus doesn't leave for an hour, an escort on the phone can help: since 2001, more than 100 volunteers from the Berlin association "Heimwegtelefon" have been calling callers home safely between 9 p.m. and midnight on Sundays to Thursdays and until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. On average, there are 400 to 500 calls per month, and the number is rising. To make the service better known and allow it to grow, the city of Offenbach signed a cooperation agreement with the association in May and will support it with 10,000 euros per year over the next three years to further expand its capacities and provide training.

"The feeling of safety in public spaces is now being discussed in numerous social and political debates," explains Lord Mayor Dr. Felix Schwenke, "and even if this does not correspond to reality - there is a clear discrepancy between perceived safety and actual crime - we take this very seriously." "Around a quarter of the population as a whole feels unsafe at night," adds municipal women's and equal opportunities officer Dr. Inga Halwachs. "Many therefore avoid going to events or only go out when accompanied. In doing so, women give up a good deal of self-determination and freedom. With the Heimwegtelefon, women and girls can take part in nightlife with a little more ease, which makes me very happy."

The Heimwegtelefon can be reached on 030 12074182 (Germany-wide). The telephone charges of the respective mobile phone provider apply for a call to the German landline network.