Today marks the first anniversary of Janine's femicide. Her ex-husband murdered the 41-year-old from Niederzwehren shortly after their separation. He had previously told a friend: “If I can’t have her, Nobody should have it.” In the spring he was sentenced to life in prison for murder.
At the memorial event a friend's message was played. She reminded of Janine's strength, her humor and her joy of life. She vividly described the pain and emptiness, left behind by the murder of their “favorite person”..
Femicide refers to the killing of women and girls because of their gender. These acts are mostly committed by men, who have claims of ownership over women. On average, a man in Germany tries almost every day, his (Ex-)murdering a woman, almost every other day one of the perpetrators succeeds.
The memorial rally ended with the words of the Initiative Against Feminicides Kassel: “Our strongest weapon against patriarchal violence is organizing.”