Federal situation report - Further increase in child abuse cases
The Federal Criminal Office registered more cases of child and adolescent sexual abuse last year. In many cases, the Internet plays a significant role, such as when offenders establish contacts with minors over social networks, as shown in the "Federal Situation Report on Sexual Crimes to the Detriment of Children and Adolescents 2023." The report was presented at the Federal Criminal Office (BKA) in Wiesbaden on Monday. A challenge for law enforcement remains the dark field: Many crimes remain hidden, for example, because they occur within the family.
According to the report, investigators were made aware of 16,375 cases last year where children were sexually abused - an increase of 5.5% compared to the previous year. In the same period, 1,200 criminal offenses were recorded where adolescents were sexually abused. The number of cases involving depictions of child sexual abuse increased by 7.4% to approximately 45,000 cases. The number of sexual offenses against minors has increased significantly according to the BKA over the past five years.
More Control, More Cases: Investigators Shine a Light on the Dark Field
In the report, investigators refer to the fact that the number of identified cases of child abuse is strongly related to police investigative activities and reporting behavior. "Given the intensified police efforts in the crime area in recent years, it is likely that there has been a brightening of the dark field," it says further.
"Sexual abuse of children and adolescents belongs to the most terrible and shameful forms of criminality," said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). These crimes affect the most vulnerable members of our society and cause great suffering. Many victims were still very young, more than 2,200 girls and boys were under six years old at the time of the abuse.
The BKA also stated that many cases, in which potential crime scenes could not be identified in Germany based on tips, especially from the US, do not enter the statistics. The reason why corresponding investigations sometimes run into a dead end is the abolition of mandatory data retention of telecommunications traffic data in Germany, especially IP addresses. Images and videos of sexually abused children and adolescents are shared thousands of times on the Internet.
Faeser: "We need the storage of IP addresses"
Faeser confirmed on Monday in Wiesbaden her demand for a new legally conformant regulation for a random storage of traffic and location data of telecommunications. "We need the storage of IP addresses," she said. In the US data, this is often the only possibility for identifying potential suspects. On the question of how it would look like, Faeser answered: "In my opinion, immediately, I am trying to convince my coalition partners of this."
In April, Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) agreed on the Quick-Freeze procedure. According to this procedure, data is only stored when there is a significant suspicion of a criminal offense. The decision-making process within the Federal Government on this matter is still ongoing. Due to legal uncertainties, the old regulation for data retention has not been used since 2017.
Expert warns of increasing sexual violence on the net
According to the Federal Report, the number of cases of youth pornography has significantly increased compared to the previous year - by around 31 percent to 8,851 cases. It is striking that the suspects are often minors themselves. The Independent Commissioner of the Federal Government for Child Sexual Abuse, Kerstin Claus, said: "This shows us ultimately how normal the confrontation with material of sexual violence has become for young people." Therefore, they also share such representations on the net. It is alarming that boundaries are shifting. The expert warned that the extent of digital sexual violence is continuously increasing. There is no sign of a decrease in numbers.
- The increase in child and adolescent sexual abuse cases registered by the BKA last year is partially due to the significant role the Internet plays in facilitating such crimes.
- Many of these cases involve offenders establishing contacts with minors over social networks, as highlighted in the "Federal Situation Report on Sexual Crimes to the Detriment of Children and Adolescents 2023."
- In Berlin, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) expressed her concern over the rise in child and adolescent sexual abuse cases, stating that it's one of the most terrible forms of criminality.
- According to the BKA, many hidden crimes remain due to the "dark field," where offenses occur within families or where crime scenes cannot be identified, especially based on tips from the USA.
- Faeser advocated for a new regulation to store IP addresses in Germany, stating that it would often be the only possibility for identifying potential suspects in the US.
- In Wiesbaden, Faeser expressed her demand for the storage of IP addresses, as she believes it's crucial in combating child and adolescent sexual abuse cases.
- The Independent Commissioner of the Federal Government for Child Sexual Abuse, Kerstin Claus, warned about the increasing normalcy of young people's exposure to material of sexual violence on the internet, leading to an alarming increase in digital sexual violence.
