Child sexual abuse in religiously affiliated and secular institutions: a retrospective descriptive analysis of data provided by victims in a government-sponsored reappraisal program in Germany

Abstract

BackgroundThe disclosure of widespread sexual abuse committed by professional educators and clergymen in institutions in Germany ignited a national political debate, in which special attention was paid to church-run institutions. We wanted to find out whether the nature of the abuse and its effect on victims differed depending on whether the abuse had been experienced in religiously affiliated versus secular institutions.MethodsIn 2010, the German government established a hotline that victims could contact anonymously to describe their experiences of sexual abuse. The information provided by callers was documented and categorized. Our analysis looked at a subset of the data collected, in order to compare the nature of the abuse experienced at three types of institutions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, and non–religiously affiliated. Non-parametric tests were used to compare frequency distributions, and qualitative data were analyzed descriptively.ResultsOf the 1050 victims in our sample, 404 had been in Roman Catholic, 130 in Protestant, and 516 in non-religious institutions. The overall mean age at the time of reporting was 52.2 years. Males (59.8%) outnumbered females. Victims who had been in religiously affiliated institutions were significantly older than those who had been in secular institutions. Almost half the victims had been abused physically as well as sexually, and most victims reported that the abuse had occurred repeatedly and that the assaults had been committed by males. Patterns of abuse (time, type, and extent), and the gender of the offenders did not differ between the three groups. Intercourse was more frequently reported by older victims and by females. Similar percentages of victims in all groups reported current psychiatric diagnoses (depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD). Significantly more victims from Protestant institutions reported having current psychosocial problems.ConclusionThe results suggest that child sexual abuse in institutions is attributable to the nature of institutional structures and to societal assumptions about the rights of children more than to the attitudes towards sexuality of a specific religion. The exploratory data arising from this study may serve as a starting point for building hypotheses, and may point the way toward improvements in prevention and intervention strategies.

Risk Factors for Sexual Offending in Men Working With Children: A Community-Based Survey

“…It was found that CSA-W usually differed from child sexual abusers not working with children (CSA) in so far as they were older, better educated, and less likely to be in an adult relationship, while they did not differ concerning the frequency of having experienced sexual abuse themselves (Colton, Roberts, & Vanstone, 2010;Sullivan & Beech, 2004;Turner et al, 2014a). Recently, Turner and colleagues (2014a) reported that CSA-W were more likely to show indicators for pedophilic sexual interests while at the same time they showed fewer indicators for antisocial behaviors and reported fewer previous problems with alcohol compared to CSA not working with children (Turner et al, 2014a; see also Langevin, Curnoe, & Bain, 2000;Parkinson, Oates, & Jayakody, 2012;Spröber et al, 2014;Sullivan, Beech, Craig, & Gannon, 2011 for similar findings). Due to this constellation of risk factors it was concluded that CSA-W seem to exhibit more specific risk factors for sexual reoffending while they are not so much in danger for general or violent reoffending (Turner et al, 2014b).…”

“…Holt & Massey, 2013;Spröber et al, 2014;Sullivan & Beech, 2004;Turner, Rettenberger, Lohmann, Eher, & Briken, 2014a). It was found that CSA-W usually differed from child sexual abusers not working with children (CSA) in so far as they were older, better educated, and less likely to be in an adult relationship, while they did not differ concerning the frequency of having experienced sexual abuse themselves (Colton, Roberts, & Vanstone, 2010;Sullivan & Beech, 2004;Turner et al, 2014a).…”

Reporting Child Sexual Abuse within Religious Settings: Challenges and Future Directions

“…In May 2010, again in response to an increased public awareness of the sexual abuse of children, the German government set up a confidential telephone line for victims to report such abuse. In the first 18 months, 4208 people contacted the service to report being sexually abused as children, 534 of whom had been abused in Catholic or Protestant institutions (Spröber et al, ).…”

Kindesmisshandlung aus pädiatrischer Sicht

“…Einleitung Die in den letzten Jahren von der Presse aufgegriffenen Fälle von schwerster Kindesmisshandlung und -vernachlässigung mit Todesfolge sowie Fälle von sexueller Misshandlung in großem Ausmaß (katholische Kirche, Reformpädagogik) haben zu einer entsprechenden Sensibilisierung der Öffentlichkeit geführt [1]. Auch wenn es sich bei den verschiedenen Formen der Kindesmisshandlung und -vernachlässigung nicht um eigene Krankheitsentitäten im eigentlichen Sinne handelt, ist dennoch neben den unmittelbaren körperlichen Verletzungsfolgen und den Folgen der Mangelversorgung mit einer Reihe von langfristigen psychischen Störungen zu rechnen, die sich nachhaltig negativ auf individuelle Lebensläufe auswirken.…”