Sabine Andresen, the president of the Children’s Protection League, is calling for increased action against sexual violence online in light of the report released by the Federal Abuse Commissioner, Kerstin Claus. Speaking to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Andresen stated that the fact that the investigation commission is now presenting its own report directly to the Bundestag, Bundesrat, and Federal Government is a significant step. She emphasized that the experiences of the survivors should no longer merely be documented; they must lead to political consequences.
Kerstin Claus, the Federal Abuse Commissioner, recently presented the first report following the legal establishment of her office. This report, in collaboration with the independent Federal Commission for the Investigation of Sexual Child Abuse, was shared on Tuesday. More than 3,000 individuals have entrusted the commission with their stories over the past ten years. This accumulation of testimony creates a responsibility not only for political bodies but also for the institutions where children and adolescents experienced sexual violence.
The Children’s Protection League president stressed that the focus must be particularly urgent concerning the digital space. She noted that sexual violence against children increasingly occurs via chats, social networks, and other digital platforms. The emergence of artificial intelligence introduces additional dangers, such as the potential creation of sexualized imagery from harmless children’s photos. Andresen insisted that the responsibility for protecting children from such harm cannot be left solely to the children or their parents. She demands that platform providers be legally required to design their sites and platforms securely from the outset and to take consistent action against sexual violence. “Children have the right to move around safely and participate in the digital sphere,” she asserted.
