In Germany, an alarming number of children and adolescents continue to be victims of sexual offenses. Authorities registered 16,354 cases of child abuse last year – only slightly fewer than in 2023, when a record number was reported. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) expressed shock at the figures when they were presented on Thursday and announced tougher measures.
The number of cases of various sexual offenses against minors remains “at a very high level,” Dobrindt said, referring to the findings of the so-called federal situation report by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). He spoke of an “unbelievable dimension,” saying that victims are often repeatedly abused by perpetrators over a long period of time. Moreover, the figures only reflect the crimes that have been reported. The number of unreported cases is “very high in our estimation,” Dobrindt said.
The figures relate to sexual abuse of children up to the age of 13. The number of cases involving young people up to the age of 17 in 2024 was also above the five-year average, but at 1,191 cases, it was also slightly below the 2023 figure. The 16,000 cases of child abuse represent a minimal decrease of 0.1 percent compared to the previous year. The number of recorded victims in this area fell by 2.2 percent to 18,085, but the number of suspects rose by 3.9 percent to 12,368. Ninety-five percent of them were male.
BKA President Holger Münch does not want the figures to be interpreted as “all clear,” because “every case means really serious suffering for those affected,” as he said.
Almost three-quarters of the victims of sexual abuse of children up to the age of 13 were girls (73.9 percent). In more than half of the cases (56.9 percent), there was a pre-existing relationship between the victims and the suspects, predominantly friends or family members. Just under a third of the suspects were minors.
BKA chief Münch expressed concern about the even higher proportion of underage suspects in child and youth pornography cases. In these cases, around 40 percent of the suspects were not even 18 years old. Often, content was “carelessly forwarded to peers via chat rooms and messenger services,” Münch said. Last year, 6,901 cases of youth pornography were reported – more than ever before. In contrast, there was a decline in child pornography for the first time compared to the previous year. However, the 42,854 cases are still well above the average for the past five years.
An increasing proportion of sexual offenses take place on the internet, for example through so-called cybergrooming, i.e., the targeted contact and manipulation of minors. In addition, there are more and more cases of live streaming, in which the abuse of children is shown in real time via online platforms. According to Dobrindt, the crimes often take place abroad, mostly in the Philippines.
Kerstin Claus, the Independent Federal Commissioner for the Protection of Children against Sexual Abuse, warned of the dangers of the internet for minors. “The risk of sexual violence is exploding online,” she said. “It has never been so easy for perpetrators to reach their victims.” Claus called for better protection, for example on smartphones and tablets. “Mobile devices must no longer be tools for crime,” she said.
Minister Dobrindt announced tougher measures in criminal prosecution. “In the coming weeks,” the federal government will agree on data retention. Münch supported this initiative for three months of IP address storage. “This will significantly increase our investigative success,” he said. Dobrindt criticized the fact that German investigators often have to rely on information from foreign authorities. He also considers encryption technologies, such as those used in WhatsApp chats, to be wrong.
Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) called for “education, prevention, and effective prosecution” in the fight against sexual crimes against children and young people. She explained that the federal government wants to strengthen the police and the judiciary. The German Judges Association sees the figures as “a clear call to action for the black-red coalition.” The temporary storage of IP addresses is long overdue, emphasized managing director Sven Rebehn.
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