How do I document?

Even if you do not (yet) want to take legal action over the violence you have experienced, it makes sense to document the attacks. The evidence gathered may be important for taking action against attacks.

All actions and attacks should be documented, including those in which any ambiguities still remain despite documentation. Individual assaults play a role in the overall picture, most notably in the case of stalking, for criminal prosecution.

What is important in terms of documentation:

Take screenshots of received messages, images, comments etc..
Text messages, e-mails, calls and voice messages should be saved securely or printed out.

Emails contain metadata that can provide information about the sender of the email. If you document emails by screenshot or printout, the header of the email should be visible. Among other things, it indicates the IP address of the sender, and is usually hidden. The header can be made visible in the settings. How you do this differs depending on which email provider is used. Instructions are available from the consumer centres (in German).

Safety and security always come first! If the perpetrator knows that their attacks are being documented, this can, in some cases, lead to an escalation of violence. You are usually able to judge for yourself what is important for your safety, and what steps you should not take on your own. A specialist counselling centre nearby can also help you to assess the situation, and plan how to proceed.