Monitoring the Status of Prevention Activities Concerning Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents in Germany

Sexual violence against children and youth, among other forms of violence, presents a highly relevant social problem. Preventative efforts in institutional protection concepts are among the most important measures for combating sexual violence against youth and children.

The project ”Monitoring the Status of Prevention Activities Concerning Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents in Germany” was contracted by the Unabhängiger Beauftragter für Fragen des sexuellen Kindesmissbrauchs (the federal government’s Independent Expert for Child Sexual Abuse Issues) to systematically address the introduction and implementation of protection concepts in institutions and organizations against the backdrop of the 2011 “Guidelines for Prevention and Intervention including Long Term Reappraisal and Initiation of Changes after Sexual Violence by Employees in Institutions”. The study has been carried out between 2014 and 2018 by the DJI and a multi-method design has been used to link quantitative surveys in the areas of education and health with qualitative surveys in all four areas (education, health, religious life and child and youth work). The research focused on the following issues:

• Systematic, comprehensive assessment of the status of introduction and implementation of the Round Table Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Violence.
• In-depth assessment of the conducive and challenging conditions for the introduction and implementation process of protection concepts.

In the qualitative sub-studies of the project, guided interviews were conducted to collect positive examples and experiences of institutions and organizations (case studies of good practice). In various areas where children and adolescents are looked after and cared for (e.g. schools or sports clubs), a total of 34 qualitative interviews were conducted with those responsible for the development of protection concepts (mostly management staff) and those practitioners or volunteers working with these concepts in everyday life in order to assess and evaluate the conditions for successful protection processes and their practical challenges. The findings from the case studies on beneficial and obstructive factors for the development and implementation of protection concepts were then discussed and validated in 16 focus groups with key players in the field of action. Hence, these qualitative data provide an insight into the structural frameworks and current discourses of prevention work in the different fields. Detailed findings can be found in sub-report 1 (education), sub-report 2 (health) and sub-report 4 (leisure time).

In the nationwide quantitative studies, the first two monitoring survey waves from 2012/2013 were continued and deepened. Thus, progress in the implementation of prevention activities had been documented based on the survey of about 1,000 day-care centres for children, about 1,500 schools, about 450 residential care facilities, about 1,100 people from the outpatient health sector (medical and psychotherapeutic practices), 165 clinics and 102 boarding schools. The results are published in sub-report 3 (institutional care, day-care centres for children, clinics and outpatient care) and sub-report 5 (school and boarding schools) as well as in the online monitoring database.

Furthermore, a self-evaluation tool for youths "Du bist gefragt!" (“You’re asked!”) has been developed to assist institutions and organizations on their way to become places of protection (protection against sexualised violence within the facility) and competence (establishment as a competent point of contact for children and adolescents who have experienced sexual violence within or outside the facility). This free online tool can still be used by organizations and institutions for participatory prevention activities involving young people.

The final report of the monitoring (summer of 2019) including an integration of the qualitative and quantitative findings as well as the explorative findings from the self-evaluation tool and the sub reports 1 - 5 can be downloaded here (in german language).