02.05.2024
Over the course of a decade, the anonymous and free helpline for sexual abuse has established itself as the central nationwide contact point for victims of sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence, for relatives, professionals, and for anyone who is worried about a child or has questions on the topic. Around 50,000 calls since its launch in 2014 demonstrate the great need for this service and reflect the increasing societal awareness of the issue of sexualized violence.
Strengthening support structures sustainably
Kerstin Claus, Independent Commissioner for Issues of Child Sexual Abuse (UBSKM): “The work of the Sexual Abuse Helpline is invaluable for all callers. The counselors are often the first people affected or their relatives confide in. Professionals and other people from the immediate environment of children and young people are also increasingly seeking support there, and this trend is on the rise. This clearly demonstrates how important the helpline's work is.”.
It also shows that we must sustainably strengthen support structures. We have a responsibility to improve both support for victims and the protection of children and young people from sexual violence. This requires a legal framework, such as the one now provided for in the Independent Federal Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse (UBSKM) Act. The law is currently undergoing inter-ministerial review, and the federal states and associations have been consulted. I assume and expect that it will now be adopted by the Cabinet as planned in the near future
The Helpline for Sexual Abuse, funded by the UBSKM, is an offer from NINA e. V. – the National Information and Counseling Center for Sexualized Violence in Childhood and Adolescence.
Often more than just a strange feeling
Silke Noack, Managing Director of NINA e. V. and head of the helpline, emphasizes the importance of this easily accessible service: “Many people call us with a bad feeling. And that’s a good thing. They’ve noticed something, but don’t know where to turn. And if you don’t know where to turn, you’re left alone with that feeling. I want people to become more aware and dare to look closely, so that sexual violence against children and young people is uncovered and stopped more quickly.”
During these conversations, the helpline counselors provide an initial professional assessment and concrete advice on possible next steps. The goal of the counseling is to make those seeking help feel more confident in dealing with the situation. The counselors inform callers about the next steps and which local contact points they can reach.
The helpline is evolving – becoming more needs-oriented and accessible.
Since 2016, with the callers' consent, the conversations have been anonymously documented and scientifically analyzed as part of an accompanying research project by Ulm University Hospital. Key findings of the scientific research conducted over the past few years show that calls concerning (suspected) cases increased significantly in 2019/2020 and have remained at a constant level since then. Among individuals from the callers' social circles, there has been a particularly noticeable increase among professionals, reaching 16.4%.
In the first years of data collection, the family was named as the context of abuse in over 60% of reported cases; by 2023, this figure had fallen to 43.5%. At the same time, in 2023, the social environment (22.4%), kindergarten (7.0%), and school (10.7%) were increasingly identified as the context of abuse.
The needs identified through discussion led to new developments for both the helpline and the Independent Federal Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse (UBSKM), and the support services have been continuously developed in recent years: The helpline for sexual abuse has been supplemented in recent years by further free services such as the helpline berta (2019), which provides advice on questions relating to sexualized organized and ritual violence, online counselling (2021), professional counselling (2022), counselling in 19 languages (2023) and counselling in sign language (2024).
Support for victims of sexualized violence through digital media
Many teenagers and young adults who are acutely affected by online sexual violence or peer violence contact the helpline. They primarily use the online counseling service. The counselors are there for the young people and work with them to consider what can be done to protect them from the violence or to stop it.
Tanja von Bodelschwingh, Managing Director of NINA e. V. and head of the online counseling service for the helpline, emphasizes: “Many perpetrators end up digitally in children's and teenagers' bedrooms. It's good that we're also there with our online counseling service. Many young people take advantage of the opportunity for anonymous online counseling. Many of them are acutely affected. They don't want to, and can't, talk about it. Making phone calls is hardly an option for young people anymore anyway. Writing, on the other hand, creates the necessary distance: They can decide what they tell us, when they read the answers, and whether they want to contact us again or not. Completely self-determined. This gives many the courage to take further steps.” The Sexual Abuse Helpline and its other services will continue to be a central pillar of the Independent Federal Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse (UBSKM).
Source: Independent Commissioner for Issues of Child Sexual Abuse, Press Release , May 2, 2024