Mother’s Day & Matricide
Roses are not enough for us.
While flowers, gratitude, and “appreciation” are celebrated,
one reality often remains invisible:
- Violence against women – even murder.
Definition of Matricide:
The murder of a woman is referred to as femicide. The targeted killing of one’s own mother is known as matricide. In this type of killing, the focus is not only on the victim’s gender, but primarily on her role as a mother.
There are no official public statistics for matricides, but there are enough “isolated cases” to identify it as a societal problem. The perpetrators are much more frequently sons than daughters.
Reality in Germany
Almost every other day, a woman is killed, and it is unclear how many of them are mothers. In Germany, hundreds of men attempt to murder their partners or ex-partners every year. Even femicides that are not matricides, such as those committed by husbands or ex-husbands, often affect mothers. In many cases, the victims are mothers of their shared children.
Origin & Contradiction
Mother’s Day was initiated by Anna Jarvis in 1907 in honor of her deceased mother, a social activist. In 1914, the day became an official holiday and was later increasingly commercialized – in Germany, it was introduced in 1922/1923 by the Association of German Flower Shop Owners and instrumentalized during the Nazi era to create a one-sided image of motherhood. Yet “mother” represents diverse aspects worldwide, such as:
- Life
- Care
- Protection
- Justice
But who protects and values women?
Conclusion
Appreciation requires more than one day. Those who want to honor mothers must protect women.
As long as women are exposed to violence, fear, and death threats, every Mother’s Day remains incomplete.
No flowers without change.
Sources: https://www.polizei.bayern.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/098483/index.html, https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/ruhrgebiet/Landgericht-essen-urteil-sohn-ermordet-mutter-gelsenkirchen-100.html, https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin-aktuell/article114940294/Sohn-toetet-Mutter-mit-mehr-als-80-Messerstichen.html, https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/suedbaden/urteil-totschlag-tote-frau-in-dachbox-sohn-angeklagt-100.html, https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Flensburg-Neun-Jahre-Jugendstrafe-fuer-Mord-an-Mutter,mordprozess548.html