Status Report on the Plan of Action of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Protection of Children and Young People from Sexual Violence and Exploitation

Abstract

The action plan continues the numerous steps taken in the last few years to combat sexual abuse and the sexual exploitation of children and young people. It then goes on to lay the foundation for ongoing progress in this field. This presupposes close cooperation between the competent authorities at the federal, federal states and municipal level, and also with non-governmental organisations and research circles. The establishment of a federal/federal state working group was an important step towards guiding and coordinating the implementation and further development of the action plan. The causes of sexual violence and exploitation must be recognised early and provide the basis for prevention and intervention programmes. In committing sexual acts with children the offenders regularly operate in the relevant areas of criminal law. Besides investigation and prevention, great importance is attributed to improvements in the field of the penal code and procedural law, but also in the area of victim protection and harmonising European criminal law. The action plan thus aims to further develop criminal law protection of children and young people, strengthening prevention and the protection of victims. Further, it seeks to interlink the advice and assistance programmes, and to promote international cooperation. The measures mentioned in the action plan therefore concentrate on the following areas: the legal protection of children and young people from violence; the strengthening of prevention and the expansion of advice and assistance programmes; international cooperation and networking; monitoring and research The Federal Government has implemented numerous practical programmes in the above-mentioned areas in cooperation with non-governmental organisations. This status report contains the programmes named in the action plan and also thematically relevant ones funded by the Federal Government or implemented by the associations and organisations represented in the federal/federal state working group. A host of other actors are working every day to protect children and young people from sexual violence and exploitation (public and voluntary youth welfare organisations, NGOs etc.). Unfortunately this report cannot give due space to their activities.