Sexual violence against children and adolescents is still widespread. However, crime statistics only record crimes and suspects reported to the police. A significant proportion of the crimes committed remain undetected. This is known as the “dark field”. In addition, there is insufficient knowledge not only about the extent of the abuse but also about the very different contexts of the crimes and the respective consequences of the abuse.
Extent and context of abuse
The German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University Hospital in Ulm, and the Institute of Criminology at Heidelberg University are therefore launching a representative national dark field study on the frequency, situational context and consequences of sexualized violence against children and adolescents.
"A Germany-wide dark field study that examines these issues in a sufficiently large and representative sample is long overdue," says Prof. Dr. Harald Dreßing, head of the Forensic Psychiatry at the Central Institute of Mental Health, who is coordinating the study. Expanding our knowledge of sexualized violence in terms of frequency, situational context, and consequences for those affected is particularly important in times of multiple crises (Coronavirus pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, etc.), which have led to a "mental health crisis" (EU Parliament), as early experienced stress is also crucial for dealing with these crises.
Own funds used
In addition to funding from the participating institutions, it was also possible to acquire funding. The study is supported by the WEISSER RING Foundation, the Eckiger Tisch Association and the Child Protection Association in Germany. The study is being conducted in cooperation with the infratest dimap pollster.
The selected persons will be contacted by mail. Respondents will be given the opportunity to choose whether they wish to complete the questionnaire on paper or online via a website. In total, the survey will be conducted in 92 communities in Germany, selected on a random basis to ensure a representative picture of the German-speaking resident population between the ages of 18 and 59. Questionnaires will be sent to 100 citizens in each community. The data will be analyzed anonymously by the participating research institutes.
About the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG)
The German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) investigates new methods for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses. The goal is to benefit people as quickly as possible. 27 research institutions at six locations in Germany pool their expertise for this purpose. One of the six partner sites is located in Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm and is coordinated by the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH). The other partner sites are Berlin-Potsdam, Bochum-Marburg, Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Munich-Augsburg and Tübingen. The research program was developed together with experts from the field, i.e. with patients and their relatives. They are involved in all stages of the research. In the initial phase of the DZPG (2023 to 2025), the focus will be on the early detection and prevention of mental illnesses, the establishment of joint organizational and research infrastructures, and the networking of partner sites. In this context, the CIMH in Mannheim, the Heidelberg University, and the University of Ulm form the joint partner site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm ("ZIHUb"), on whose initiative this dark field study is funded as an exemplary, application-oriented project. www.dzpg.org/en
About the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH)
The Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) represents internationally outstanding research and pionieering treatment concepts in psychiatry and psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics, and addiction medicine. The clinics of the CIMH guarantee psychiatric care for the population of Mannheim. At the CIMH, people of all ages with mental disorders can rely on state-of-the-art treatment based on international standards of knowledge. Another important part of our work is educating people about mental illness, creating understanding for those affected, and strengthening prevention. The CIMH is one of Europe's leading institutions for psychiatric research. The CIMH is institutionally linked to Heidelberg University through jointly appointed professors at the Medical Faculty and is a member of the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim (www.health-life-sciences.de).
About the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Ulm
The Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center of Ulm has a clinical and scientific focus on child protection and the care of psychologically traumatized children and adolescents and their families. The medical director of the clinic is the spokesman of the Center for Trauma Research at the University Medical Center of Ulm and head of the Competence Center Child Abuse and Neglect in Baden-Württemberg (Com.Can). He is managing the Competence Area "Prevention of Mental Health" within the Competence Network Preventive Medicine (KNPM) in Baden-Württemberg. He is the initiator and director of the Medical Child Protection Hotline, which can be contacted twenty-four hours a day by professionals in medical child protection cases, and has developed numerous e-learning programs on child protection and trauma care with his team (see www.elearning-kinderschutz.de).
About the Institute of Criminology at Heidelberg University
The Institute of Criminology at Heidelberg University focuses on juvenile delinquency and juvenile criminal law, victimology, crime prevention, and empirical research on criminal procedure and sanctions. The Institute has contributed to studies on sexual violence in the Catholic Church (MHG Study) and the Protestant Church (ForuM Study). The Institute is located at the Law Faculty of the Heidelberg University. Founded in 1386, the Ruperto Carola (Latin name of Heidelberg University at the time of its foundation) is an internationally oriented research university whose range of subjects includes the humanities, social sciences, and law as well as the natural sciences, engineering, and life sciences, including medicine.
About the WEISSER RING Foundation
The independent WEISSER RING Foundation was established on April 11, 2012. The non-profit and charitable foundation promotes help for victims of crime, crime prevention, research in the field of criminology and victimology, and the promotion of civic engagement. Richard Oetker is the Chairman of the Foundation's Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Dr. Patrick Liesching.
About the Child Protection Association
The German Child Protection Association (In German: Der Kinderschutzbund, DKSB) was founded in Hamburg in 1953 and is registered in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Today, more than 15,000 volunteers and 7,000 full-time employees work for the organization. More than 50,000 individual members support local child protection work through their contributions and thus form the basis of the largest child protection association in Germany. The Child Protection Association is dedicated to protecting the rights of all children and young people in Germany. Its goal is a child-friendly society in which the mental, psychological, social, and physical development of children and adolescents is promoted.
About the association “Eckiger Tisch”
The non-profit association "Eckiger Tisch" represents the interests of victims of sexual violence against children and young people, especially in the context of the Catholic Church, and offers advice, support, and networking. It was founded by people who were instrumental in uncovering the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in 2010. The name of the association was chosen in contrast to the Round Table on Child Sexual Abuse (RTsM) established by the German government at the time, which initially did not include survivors. Since 2010, the initiative has been calling for a comprehensive investigation of the cases of abuse, help for those affected, and appropriate compensation.
Press Contact
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MASTERMEDIA GmbH
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presse@dzpg.org
