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Skip next section Reports of sexual crimes against minors rising sharply in Germany 07/21/2026 July 21, 2026 Reports of sexual crimes against minors rising sharply
Skip next section Reports of sexual crimes against minors rising sharply in Germany 07/21/2026 July 21, 2026 Reports of sexual crimes against minors rising sharply in Germany Germany has seen a considerable rise in reported cases of child sexual abuse over the past five years, according to a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) for 2025.
Last year, the police registered 17,126 cases, some 4.7% more than a year before, according to the report, entitled "Sexual offenses to the detriment of children and youth." The report showed that in more than half of the cases, the victims and suspected perpetrators were related, while the overwhelming majority of suspected offenders were males acting on their own.
In Germany's penal law, a child is defined as anyone below 14 years of age. The number of sexual abuse cases against young people aged 14 or more rose from 1,191 in 2024 to 1,239 in 2025. The report, which was presented by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, BKA President Holger Munch and the government's commissioner against child sexual abuse, Kerstin Claus, warned that a large number of offenses go unreported.
Dobrindt described the figures in the report as highly alarming. "We have to protect our children better, especially in the digital sphere," he said.
The BriefWire