Church law on prevention and intervention against sexual violence
The Church Law on Prevention and Intervention against Sexualized Violence (PreVG) was passed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany at a synod in 2018 . It is a canonical law to prevent, educate and combat sexual abuse . It came into force on April 17, 2018, the day of its proclamation.
content
According to Paragraph 4 (protection from sexualised violence), all church organizations are obliged to ensure that employees and those who take up church services, especially entrusted children and young people, avoid all forms of sexual transgression and abuse (sexualised violence) when performing their duties protect.
Paragraph 5 requires a prevention officer, measures such as training, declarations of voluntary commitment and risk analyzes.
According to Paragraph 6, there is an obligation to report to a reporting officer, after which an intervention must take place immediately.
The church law must be evaluated after 5 years at the latest.
History of origin
The abuse scandal in Ahrensburg , which became known in 2010, was decisive for the creation of the law . A pastor had sexually abused minors for more than 20 years. A ten-point plan had already been developed in October 2014, in the implementation of which a work center for sexual violence, a complaints office and a crisis intervention team were set up. In 2013, a “Prevention Coordination Office” was set up to become a “Sexual Violence Unit” to implement the law.
Reception and criticism
The TAZ commented that one could object that this law would come rather late in 2018 after decades, ultimately thousands of years of unpunished abuse by church staff. "In fact - and that is the unbelievable, almost cynical thing about it - it comes exorbitantly early for German standards." According to the TAZ, the Northern Church was the first Protestant regional church in Germany to pass such a law.
It is still unclear who will be tasked with prevention. According to Petra Schellen, these should be more external, for reasons of trust and the church hierarchy.
literature
Individual evidence
- ↑ NDR: Synod passes prevention law. Retrieved June 6, 2020 .
- ↑ Northern Church introduces law against sexual violence. Retrieved June 6, 2020 .
- ↑ Petra Schellen: Comment on Prevention Act: A question of credibility . In: The daily newspaper: taz . March 6, 2018, ISSN 0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed June 6, 2020]).