Sexual abuse

A round table on sexual abuse against children, sponsored by the German government, has recommended setting up a 100-million-euro ($134 million) aid fund for victims and introducing a much longer statute of limitations for prosecuting the perpetrators. Youth organizations, experts and victims' representatives spent 18 months drafting recommendations that were summarized in a final report released on Wednesday.

"We need a new awareness, a new sensitivity and a new thoughtfulness," said Family Minister Kristina Schröder after the report's publication.

The round table recommended that the statute of limitations for claiming damages should be lengthened from three to 30 years, while the prosecution of alleged perpetrators would have a limitation of 20 years, which would come into effect when the victim turns 21. Many victims only find the strength to talk about sexual abuse decades later, meaning that the perpetrators often go unprosecuted. Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said officials had started work on two laws to bring those recommendations into force.

"We didn't wait for the final report to take action," said Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger.

Since the rules on the statute of limitations are not retroactive, the federal government wants to support therapy for victims through an aid fund of 100 million euros. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has already agreed to the government's 50-million-euro contribution, according to Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger. The German states have yet to contribute their half to the fund.

'The silence is broken'

The round table was set up in response to sexual abuse scandals within the Catholic Church and related institutions. At the beginning of 2010, it was revealed that sexual abuse had occurred on a regular basis over a period of decades at Canisius College, a Jesuit school in Berlin. Afterward, a growing number of cases within religious and secular youth groups, as well as boarding schools, went public across Germany. The German government named German politician Christine Bergmann as its independent commissioner on the matter.

"The silence has been broken," said Education and Research Minister Annette Schavan, whose ministry has made funds available for research into education and trauma treatment.

The scandals within the Jesuit institutions and the Odenwaldschule, a progressive education boarding school in the German state of Hessen, triggered a wave of outrage in Germany and raised public awareness about sexual abuse. More than 20,000 people, who were either victims of abuse or knew about abuse, contacted Bergmann with their stories.

Mixed reception

Representatives from Germany's Protestant and Catholic Churches welcomed the results of the round table.

"Now what has been set in motion has to prove itself," said Bernhard Felmberg from the Protestant Church.

Stephan Ackermann, from the Catholic Church, said that the round table's work had been consistently constructive and that the representatives of the church were handled with respect.

But Ursula Enders, the head of the sexual abuse outreach center "Zartbitter" in Cologne, called the results "lacking." Enders said an increase in resources for prevention was missing from the round table's recommendations. Victims groups were also disappointed.

"I see very little to be positive about," said Norbert Denef, the chairman of a network for victims of sexual violence.

Christian Bahls, from the victims' group MOGiS, criticized the fact that the additional financial help for the victims is limited to 10,000 euros per person.

"The suffering of the victims has no limit," Bahls said.

Author: Mathias Bölinger / slk
Editor: Joanna Impey