Church - More victims of abuse in the regional church than previously known
The Evangelical Church of Hanover has corrected the number of people affected by sexualized violence after receiving a tip. Previously, the church had spoken to at least 140 affected individuals. Following the publication of the Forum Study on sexualized violence in the evangelical church, the victim requested access to the church's files used for the study. He criticized that the number of victims, who had also become victims of the deacon, could not be found in the published total number.
The exact total number remains unclear.
Besides the complainant, 44 other victims had experienced sexualized violence in the parishes of Großburgwedel and Nordholz. The deacon was sentenced to a prison term at that time.
The Landeskirche then forwarded additional persons to the research consortium of the study. These included known and acknowledged affected persons as well as people who had applied for compensation for the injustice they had suffered. The number of those forwarded also included those persons to whom the Landeskirche had not had sufficient information.
It is still important to note that it is not an exact number, but that there are significantly more affected persons than those who have become known to the Landeskirche directly, through third parties, or from other sources.
The affected man, who filed a complaint in 2002, expressed criticism of the church. He had unsuccessfully pointed out critical aspects of the church to it since 2002. "That now this suggestion from me and other affected persons was taken up, is not yet proof for me of a change in the Landeskirche," he said. The church still has a lot to do. It is still too early for an evaluation.
The Evangelical Church of Hanover, situated in Lower Saxony, acknowledged the presence of more victims beyond the initially reported 140 in the 'Regional Church'. This revelation came after a critique from a victim who had suffered sexualized violence and was also a victim of the convicted deacon.
Despite the correction, it was discovered that 44 additional victims had experienced similar incidents in two specific parishes, resulting in the deacon's imprisonment. These victims were not included in the church's initial data.
In an effort to provide a more comprehensive picture, the 'Regional Church' shared additional affected individuals with the research consortium. These individuals included recognized victims, compensation applicants, and those whose cases were not well-documented by the 'Church Society'.
