German child abuse commissioner: Risk to children has never been higher
German police recorded more than 17,100 cases of child sexual abuse in 2025. Commissioner Kerstin Claus warns of online dangers and calls for a school subject on the digital world.
Archive image · Photo: Stefan Frohloff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de (cropped and resized)
Germany's federal commissioner for child sexual abuse, Kerstin Claus, said children and young people face greater danger than ever. "Never before has the risk for children and young people of experiencing sexualized violence been as high as it is today," she said on Tuesday in Berlin as she presented her report. She said about 10 million people in Germany experienced sexual violence as children or adolescents.
Police recorded 17,126 cases of child sexual abuse in 2025, 772 more than the year before and about 1,600 more than five years earlier. Online spaces have become central crime scenes, the report says. Artificial intelligence can turn harmless profile photos into nude images, making sextortion easier. "The risks in the digital space are exploding," Claus said.
Her demands include a school subject on the digital world, active searches for and deletion of abuse images online, and child protection plans at all schools, daycare centers and leisure programs. Criminal protection against cybergrooming should also cover teenagers over 14. The government and parliament must address such a report for the first time.