Sexualized violence against minors and adults in the Protestant Church in Germany: A descriptive analysis of survivors’ accounts and characteristics of accused individuals

• In Event: Child sexual abuse

Abstract

This study is part of the first collaborative project systematically analyzing sexualized violence within the Protestant Church in Germany, focusing on survivor experiences, characteristics of accused individuals, and institutional responses. It explores how structural factors within the church may have facilitated sexualized violence and hindered accountability.
The study aimed to gather information on survivors’ demographics (gender, age, occupation) and details about the accused, including gender, professional status (full-time or volunteer), church roles (pastoral staff, educators, social workers, caregivers), and reported forms of violence. It also examined institutional responses to allegations.
Seventy participants who experienced sexualized violence within the Protestant Church completed an online questionnaire; 60 reported experiencing sexualized violence before age 18, and 10 after. Survivors were predominantly female, with a mean age of onset of 11.2 for minors and a median age of onset of 28.5 for adults. Accused individuals were predominantly male (93% in cases involving minors, 100% in cases involving adults), with a mean age of 36 at the onset of the sexualized violence in cases involving minors and a median age of 52 in cases involving adults.
Experiences of sexualized violence often spanned extended periods, typically occurring within church premises (53.3% for minors, 70.0% for adults) and at the home of the accused individual (30.0% for minors, 40.0% for adults). Acts often involved hands-on sexualized violence (97% in cases involving minors, 100% in cases involving adults).
The findings suggest that accused individuals often held positions of trust within pastoral and educational roles, while institutional responses were inconsistent and rarely resulted in significant consequences. The study underscores the urgent need for standardized reporting protocols, robust accountability measures, and survivor-centered support systems. It highlights broader institutional and systemic issues that may have allowed sexualized violence to persist, calling for critical reflection by the Protestant Church in Germany.

Authors

• Wiebke Schoon, Institute for Sex Research, Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

• Amina Shah, Institute for Sex Research, Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

• Safiye Tozdan, Institute for Sex Research, Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

• Peer Briken, Institute for Sex Research, Sexual Medicine and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf