Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Priests, Deacons, and Male Members of Religious Orders in the Authority of the German Bishops' Conference 1946-2014.

This study explores the extent of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Catholic Church in Germany. It is the first comprehensive study to examine this extent in a European country. The goals of this study are as follows: (a) to analyze whether the extent and characteristics of sexual abuse in a European country are comparable to those in the United States and Australia and (b) how discrepancies can be explained. The personnel files of 38,156 Catholic Priests, deacons, and male members of religious orders in the authority of the German Bishops' Conference were analyzed. The study period lasted from 1946 to 2014. All 27 German dioceses took part in this study. A total of 4.4% of all clerics (N = 1,670) from 1946 to 2014 were alleged to have committed sexual abuse, and 3,677 children or adolescents were identified as victims. These results are similar to those from comparable studies in the United States. Sexual abuse of minors within the authority of the Catholic Church seems to be a worldwide phenomenon.

[Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Area of Responsibility of the Catholic Church: Institutional Specifics]. / Sexueller Missbrauch von Minderjährigen im Verantwortungsbereich der katholischen Kirche: Institutionelle Spezifika.

INTRODUCTION: From 2014 to 2018, an interdisciplinary consortium of scientists investigated the extent and possible causes of the sexual abuse of children in the area of responsibility of the Catholic Church in Germany. The study bears the acronym MHG (Mannheim / Heidelberg/Gießen) after the locations of the participating universities. The personnel file analysis identified 1670 Catholic clerics accused of sexual abuse of minors for the period from 1946 to 2014. For the Catholic Church specific conditions that favour the sexual abuse of minors could be identified. METHOD: A comparison of criminal records of accused clerics and perpetrators from other institutional contexts has been carried out. RESULT: Sexual offenses of priests are severe and the number of persons affected per convicted person is not less than that of perpetrators in other institutions; the duration of abuse by Catholic clerics is even significantly longer. Persons affected by sexual abuse in the context of the Catholic Church are significantly more often male. The Catholic Church has tried more extensively than other institutions to cover up accusations of sexual abuse of children or young people by clerics. CONCLUSION: Prevention concepts must take greater account of the specific conditions of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

[Sexual Abuse of Minors: Development in Light Field Statistics and Dark Field Research Since 1953 and Implications For The Health Care System]. / Sexueller Missbrauch an Kindern ­ Entwicklungen im Hell- und Dunkelfeld seit 1953 und Implikationen für das Gesundheitswesen.

Data on sexual abuse of minors can be obtained from official Police Crime Statistics and from dark field surveys. This article deals with the longitudinal development of the offense in the last 63 years in Germany. The criminal offenses of sexual abuse of children according to § 176 StGB (German Criminal Code) in the Police Crime Statistics show a decrease of frequency in the reporting period (1953-2016). The empirical results of the dark field research are inconsistent, but partially show a decline in frequency. In this study, the importance of these findings for prevention and health policy is discussed.

[Going Beyond the Known: Pilot Study on Prevalence, Situational Context and Consequences of Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents in Germany]. / Ein Schritt ins Dunkle: Pilotstudie zu Prävalenz, situativem Kontext und Folgen sexualisierter Gewalt gegen Kinder und Jugendliche in Deutschland.

OBJECTIVE: The current study assesses prevalence rates, circumstances and consequences of sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence. METHODS: A random sample from an urban population (18-69 years) was surveyed by postal or online questionnaire. Instruments included WHO-5 well-being index, knowledge on support services for children and adolescents experiencing sexual abuse, incidents and consequences of sexual abuse. RESULTS: 159 persons returned the questionnaire (17.3%). 18.2% experienced sexual abuse. Of these, 34.5% disclosed sexual abuse for the first time. Psychological well-being was significantly lower in sexually abused persons. There was a lack of knowledge regarding support services for sexually abused ones. CONCLUSION: The present design is applicable in the context of a nationwide representative survey on childhood sexual abuse and provides insights into the field of concealed sexual abuse.

Sexual Abuse at the Hands of Catholic Clergy.

BACKGROUND: When cases of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church became known, the German Bishops' Conference (Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, DBK) commissioned a study by an interdisciplinary consortium to determine the frequency of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in Germany (the MHG study). METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used and the subject matter of the study was analyzed in seven component projects. To determine the frequency of sexual abuse, 38 156 personnel files of Catholic clergy from the period 1946 to 2014 were studied, and the epidemiologic findings of these evaluations are presented. RESULTS: 1670 persons belonging to the Catholic clergy who were accused of sexual abuse of minors were identified from their personnel files, corresponding to 4.4% of the clergy overall. 3677 victims of sexual abuse could be linked to the accused persons; 62.8% of them were male, and 66.7% were under 14 years old when the abuse took place. The mean duration of the abuse in individual cases was 1.3 years. "Hands-on" abuses (i.e., abuses involving bodily contact) occurred in more than 80% of cases. Many of the affected persons suffered serious consequences for their health and social functioning. The ones most commonly reported were anxiety, depression, mistrust, sexual problems, and difficulties with interpersonal contact. CONCLUSION: The figures reported here should be considered a lower bound to the actual frequency of sexual abuse. Asymmetrical power relationships in a closed system such as the Catholic Church can facilitate sexual abuse. Physicians play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of the victims of sexual abuse, in the diagnosis and treatment of persons inclined to commit abuses and actual abusers, and in the development and implementation of preventive strategies.

[Sexual Abuse of Children by Catholic Priests since 2009: Course and Relative Frequency Compared to the Male General Population]. / Sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern durch katholische Priester seit 2009: Verlauf und relative Häufigkeit im Vergleich zur männlichen Allgemeinbevölkerung.

OBJECTIVE: This paper explores the frequency of sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests and deacons in the years 2009 to 2015 in relation to the male general population in Germany. METHOD: An annual rate of sexual abuse accusations is calculated from the sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests identified in the MHG-study for the years 2009 to 2015. This is compared to figures of the male general population from the police crime statistics. RESULTS: The number of suspected men in the general population ranged from 17.6 - 20.0/100.000 between 2009 and 2015. For Catholic priests the rate of accusations ranged from 8.4 to 31.7/100.000. A decrease of the quota was not detectable in either group during the study period. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that there is a relatively constant rate of people being disposed to child sexual abuse in the group of Catholic priests. These results should be addressed specifically in the prevention work of the Catholic Church.

[How Active is the Catholic Church in the Prevention of Sexual Abuse? Preliminary Results of the MHG-Study]. / Wie aktiv ist die katholische Kirche bei der Prävention des sexuellen Missbrauchs? Erste Ergebnisse der MHG-Studie.

OBJECTIVE: A subproject of the study "Sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons in the authority of the German Bishops' conference" deals with aspects of prevention. METHOD: Structured questions were used to record objective data on preventive work. The questionnaire was completed in all 27 dioceses of Germany. RESULTS: The average hourly rate available for the work of the prevention officers is about 30 hours per week. At the end of 2014, 59 % of clerics were involved in preventive training. The temporal extent of prevention training differs greatly between individual dioceses. DISCUSSION: The Catholic Church of Germany has undertaken extensive efforts to implement a comprehensive prevention work to avoid sexual abuse of minors within catholic institutions. However, there are considerable differences between the individual dioceses.

Sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church and other institutions : A literature review.

Sexual violence against children remains a global public health problem. The health sector has an opportunity and responsibility to be part of the multisector collaboration to prevent and respond to sexual abuse of minors. The following article presents a critical analysis of hitherto published empirical studies that examine the extent and variety of sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church and other institutions. The analysis consists of 40 studies concerning the Catholic Church and 13 studies concerning other institutions not belonging to the Catholic Church. We report the characteristics of the offenders and the offenses. Furthermore, the devastating consequences for children abused by members of powerful institutions are discussed. Knowledge on the role of institutions in sexual abuse of minors and psychological distress following these experiences is necessary to point the way to improvements in prevention and intervention strategies. This literature review is part of a larger research project on the sexual abuse of minors in the context of the Catholic Church in Germany (MHG Study) that is conducted by an interdisciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, and sociologists and is funded by the German Bishops' Conference.