(de-news.net) – The Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse has issued a warning, emphasizing upcoming reporting requirements and ongoing prevalence studies, that protecting children must not cease to be a political priority. Separately, a significant study conducted in Berlin discovered that bullying, violence, and pressure to conform to religion were all on the rise in schools. Teachers and students reported these issues in a variety of educational contexts.
Kerstin Claus (CDU), Germany’s Independent Federal Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM), emphasized that the protection of children should remain a sustained political priority one year after the UBSKM Act entered into force. In her assessment, the issue is unlikely to fade from public debate and could assume an even more prominent position on the national policy agenda in the coming years.
Under the provisions of the legislation, Claus is scheduled to present her first report to the Bundestag in October. The report will outline Germany’s progress in the areas of prevention and historical accountability while also providing concrete policy recommendations intended to guide future action. Her office receives approximately 1.5 million euros annually to support prevalence research designed to narrow existing data gaps and generate more reliable estimates of the true number of victims of sexual violence. Preliminary findings from this research effort are expected by the end of 2027.
Growing violence across Berlin’s education system
In a separate development, a recently published study indicated that bullying and violence have become persistent concerns across many Berlin schools. The findings, presented by Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU), were described as a clear warning signal regarding conditions within the school environment. According to the Berlin Conflict and Violence Barometer, nearly two-thirds of surveyed teachers and educational staff reported that violence had increased in recent years, particularly in digital settings.
At the same time, more than half of respondents characterized violence and conflict at their own schools as serious problems. The study also identified a noticeable rise in pressure to conform to religious beliefs, with many of these trends already evident at the elementary-school level.
The survey results were broadly reinforced by students’ responses, which pointed to a wide range of experiences extending from verbal abuse to physical assaults. Based on information collected from more than 14,000 students and over 2,500 teachers, the project marked the first comprehensive scientific assessment undertaken by a German state to examine violence and conflict within the school system. The scale of the survey provided a broad empirical basis for evaluating the prevalence and nature of these issues across Berlin’s educational institutions.
Audio: TTSFree
