After a vacancy of more than a month, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Anne Spiegel (Greens) presented the new Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM) on Wednesday.

The journalist Kerstin Claus will hold the post from April 1 for the next five years.

On behalf of the Federal Government, the Independent Commissioner is responsible for the concerns of those affected and is a contact point for everyone who wants to take decisive action to counteract sexualized violence and exploitation of children and young people.

Heike Schmoll

Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.

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Spiegel reminded that the traffic light coalition wants to put the office on a legal basis and wants to continue the work of the independent commission.

Claus said, "Sexualised violence is a daily reality for many children and young people all over Germany, often with lifelong effects".

Therefore, strong networks are needed to protect children and young people and to offer reliable help over the entire lifespan.

To this end, she wants to work closely with the federal states and local authorities in particular.

Children could only be protected on site.

Comprehensive protection concepts in schools and clubs are therefore just as important building blocks against abuse as binding standards in the qualification of specialists and raising awareness in society.

Protecting children, uncovering crimes and providing good support to those affected can only succeed if everyone contributes and the support structures are available across the board.

She will therefore increasingly seek dialogue on site and wants to work for trusting cooperation at federal and state level.

During the consultation, she noticed again and again how much processes change when it was possible to incorporate the knowledge and experience of those affected into decisions.

That is why she will campaign for the stronger integration of the perspectives of those affected and their fundamental participation in the federal states and will also further expand this at the federal level.

The Council of Affected Persons welcomed the appointment of its member Kerstin Claus as an independent officer and announced: "The fact that Kerstin Claus is the first person to become an independent officer is for us the logical continuation of a challenging office."

The representative for churches and religious communities of the SPD parliamentary group Lars Castellucci said, "Sexualised violence is an issue for the whole of society.

We will strengthen child protection where we can, because children cannot protect themselves.” He confirmed that the traffic light coalition wants to put the independent commissioner on a legal basis and also announced that the independent commission to investigate child sexual abuse one should be provided.