Germany records rise in sexual violence against children

Germany's Criminal Police Office has reported over 17,000 cases of sexual violence against children in the past year. Organizations such as Zartbitter provide support to victims. The number of cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents is alarmingly high alliance Leonie Kirschstein knew that the number of sexual violence cases involving children and adolescents would not decline.

The psychologist works for the registered nonprofit Zartbitter e.V., which has served as a support center for young victims in city of Cologne in western Germany for nearly four decades. This pioneering organization counsels victims, conducts educational outreach in schools and even stages plays on the topic of sexual violence. Kirschstein, who has worked for Zartbitter for three years, told DW that the number of unreported cases was much higher: "Crime statistics only include cases that have been reported to the police.

But not the ones we deal with every day, such as cases involving peer violence. In many cases, these aren't reported at all, especially when the children are still very young. This group makes up the largest portion of the cases we handle in our counseling process.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The issue of sexual violence is more topical than ever: The World Health Organization estimates that up to 1 million children and adolescents in Germany have experienced or are currently undergoing sexual violence at the hands of adults. This means that, on average, in every German school classroom, there are one to two children who are victims of sexual violence. Kirschstein, who specializes in psychotherapy with children and adolescents, says: "We receive new cases every day; parents, in particular, call for an initial consultation.

Unfortunately, I still very often find the victims wonder whether they themselves did something wrong — that is, whether they said 'no' explicitly and whether their refusal was understood as such by the perpetrator. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Leonie Kirschstein's observations align with the " Federal Assessment of Sexual Offenses Against Children and Adolescents 2025, which was released on July 21 in Berlin. It states that the number of cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents remains alarmingly high and has even risen in many areas.

The number of sexual abuse offenses against minors under the age of 14 alone rose to 17,126 cases from 16,354 in 2024. New record highs have also been reached for crimes involving "child pornography" and for the sexual abuse of children without physical contact. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is sounding the alarm: "The high number of cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents shows that we must protect our children even better — especially in the digital world, he said. "Perpetrators must not be allowed to feel safe and hide in the anonymity of the internet. In the fight against these repugnant crimes, our law enforcement agencies need effective tools such as IP address logging — to identify perpetrators, prosecute them consistently, and put an end to active abuse, Dobrindt told the media.