Action week
Adults must protect children from sexual violence
Family Minister Lisa Paus presented the Week of Action campaign to protect children and young people. photo
© Melissa Erichsen/dpa
It’s about looking closely and listening: adults must never duck away from evidence of sexual violence against children, warns Family Minister Lisa Paus.
What to do if you suspect something or how to talk to children about sexual violence are legitimate questions. Every adult should be able to answer these questions in order to protect children. The campaign will therefore focus on providing information about offers of help. “Read the brochures, get the knowledge to protect children. This way you will learn to actually take responsibility,” appealed Paus. “Exchange ideas with those around you, in your family, in your circle of friends, in the daycare center, in the sports club.”
The federal commissioner for abuse, Kerstin Claus, used concrete examples to make it clear where adults should listen and ask questions. “A girl no longer wants to visit her grandparents in the afternoon because her grandfather’s beard is so scratchy,” said Claus. “Listen and ask questions, even if children or young people react to chat messages on their cell phones with “That’s crap again.” Then you should actively address the boys and girls and make it clear that they are being listened to.
In 2022, the police in Germany recorded almost 17,200 children under the age of 14 as victims of sexual violence. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), in almost one in seven cases the victims were younger than six years old. In more than half of the cases, the victim and suspect knew each other, for example because they were related or were friends in some way. In addition, 1,211 young people between the ages of 14 and 17 were counted as victims of sexual violence.