A number of cases of abuse gave rise to this tightening of the law: In the future, child abuse will be punished with at least one year in prison.
Berlin (dpa) – Children in Germany should be better protected from abuse in the future. On Friday, the Federal Council in Berlin approved a corresponding legislative decision by the Bundestag.
Anyone who sexually abuses children or procures, disseminates or even just owns pictures and films with corresponding content should in future be punished with a minimum sentence of one year in prison. This makes these acts a crime. The limitation period for explicit sexual images of children is also increased. It only begins when the victim is 30 years old.
The reasons for the tightening were, for example, the cases of abuse in Staufen, Bergisch-Gladbach, Lügde and Münster. The project is also justified by the fact that the Internet, social networks and online games with a chat function have increased the risk potential for children both in the virtual and in the real world, as stated in the draft law. The law will come into force in full on January 1st, 2022.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210507-99-505762 / 3
Information from the Federal Council
