Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – Women and underage siblings should be given more attention as potential abusers. Professor Kathinka Beckmann (Koblenz) called for this on Friday in Düsseldorf in the investigative committee of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament on child abuse.
“We should start talking about women who not only passively tolerate the abuse of their husbands, but who actively abuse children themselves, for example by sending them into prostitution,” said Beckmann.
This is undoubtedly very uncomfortable, “but I want us to deal with this reality and face the uncomfortable truths,” said Beckmann.
It should also not be the case that a case of abuse is only heard in court after two years and that the child victims are denied therapy for so long in order not to damage their credibility before they testify in court, said Beckmann.
The pediatrician Roland Adelmann criticized that because of the corona pandemic, the children’s school entrance examinations had been suspended. “Not looking at the children and only judging them based on the files is a disaster,” said Adelmann (Klinikum Oberberg).
Several experts made suggestions to the committee on Friday on how to better protect children from abuse.
