Leonie Kirschstein knew that the number of sexual violence cases involving children and adolescents would not decline. The psychologist works for the registered nonprofit Zartbitter e.V., which has served as a support center for young victims in city of Cologne in western Germany for nearly four decades. This pioneering organization counsels victims, conducts educational outreach in schools and even stages plays on the topic of sexual violence.
Kirschstein, who has worked for Zartbitter for three years, told DW that the number of unreported cases was much higher: "Crime statistics only include cases that have been reported to the police. But not the ones we deal with every day, such as cases involving peer violence. In many cases, these aren't reported at all, especially when the children are still very young. This group makes up the largest portion of the cases we handle in our counseling process."Germany: Child sex abuse probeTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Victims of sexual violence in every classroom
The issue of sexual violence is more topical than ever: The World Health Organization estimates that up to 1 million children and adolescents in Germany have experienced or are currently undergoing sexual violence at the hands of adults.
