Child Abuse Cases Remain High in Germany (2024)
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Child Abuse Cases Remain High in Germany (2024)

Recent data released by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) indicates that reported cases of sexual abuse involving children and adolescents remained largely stable in 2024, following years of increasing numbers. The BKA’s latest national threat assessment, presented Thursday in Berlin, details 16,354 cases involving children and 1,191 cases involving adolescents, figures that continue to exceed the five-year average.

In the 16,354 cases of suspected sexual abuse of children, police registered 18,085 victims – a decrease of 2.2 percent from 2023 – and 12,368 suspects, representing a 3.9 percent increase year-on-year.

Regarding sexual abuse of adolescents aged 14-17, police recorded 1,191 cases, a decrease of 0.8 percent from 2023. The number of adolescent victims registered was 1,259, down 1.4 percent from the previous year, while the number of suspects rose by 6.8 percent to 1,018.

The data reveals a continued increase in offenses related to the production, distribution, acquisition and possession of child pornography, reaching a record high of 9,601 cases in 2024-an increase of 8.5 percent. Since 2020, reported cases in this category have more than tripled.

Conversely, reported offenses involving the production, distribution, acquisition and possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of minors decreased overall. However, the total number remains high at 42,854 cases.

The report highlights a consistently high proportion of minors, young adults (18-21) and young adults (21-24) among those suspected of committing offenses. Minors comprise nearly half of all suspects related to child pornography.

The phenomenon of individuals creating and distributing their own explicit content (“selfie-pornography”) is prevalent among young offenders. Furthermore, there is a tendency for minors to share such content – often without understanding the potential legal and social consequences, particularly when shared on social media.

A significant proportion of offenses continue to occur online, with the internet providing numerous opportunities for crimes such as “cyber grooming” “livestreaming” and “sextortion.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the figures as “shockingly high and unacceptable” emphasizing the need for consistent prosecution of offenders. He outlined plans to enhance the technical capabilities of security authorities to identify and stop abuse online, citing the implementation of IP address retention as a key measure for improving child protection and facilitating prosecutions.

BKA President Holger Münch stated that personnel and technical capabilities in this area have been increased, with ongoing efforts to further develop investigative skills. “The goal is to identify perpetrators more quickly and effectively in the future and to dismantle criminal structures”.