Germany Sounds the Alarm: Sexual Assaults on Children and Adolescents at Shocking Levels

The German newspaper Bild revealed that the figures for 2024 showed that the number of sexual crimes against children and adolescents remained high, after years of continuous increase, amid government warnings that the situation is still "unacceptable and dangerous".

According to the federal report, 16,354 cases of sexual assault on children and 1,191 cases among adolescents were recorded, while the number of victims exceeded 18,000 children and adolescents, figures that surpass the average of the past five years.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that "these numbers are shocking and unacceptable," emphasizing that authorities will adopt more advanced techniques, including retaining IP addresses, to track down perpetrators online and stop the crimes.

For his part, the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, stressed that combating these crimes is an "absolute priority," confirming the enhancement of personnel and technical capabilities to pursue offenders and dismantle their networks on the dark web.

The federal representative for combating sexual abuse of children, Kirsten Klaus, also called for a "broad societal discussion on protecting minors in the digital world," warning that the increasing prevalence of child pornography requires urgent action from politicians and digital platform operators.

According to the report, cases of production, distribution, and possession of child pornography rose to 9,601 cases in 2024, more than three times what was recorded in 2020, making it one of the most serious security and social challenges in Germany.