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Berlin / Ulm (dpa) - During the corona pandemic, violence in families has apparently increased - especially where there were problems before.
"The air is getting thinner and people explode faster," said the founder of the children's project Arche, Bernd Siggelkow, of the German press agency.
“The level of stress is high and the psychological strain for children is immense,” says the director of the Arche, which creates offers for children from disadvantaged families at 27 locations across Germany.
The children are more aggressive towards each other and towards their parents.
Representative data showing an increase in violence in families during the corona pandemic are not yet available, according to the Ulm expert Jörg Fegert.
But after the end of the first lockdown, the medical child protection hotline recorded a significant increase in calls, said Fegert, who heads the hotline.
Doctors, psychotherapists and youth welfare staff, for example, can contact them there if they would like collegial advice on suspected child abuse.
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The nationwide helpline “Number against Kummer” also recorded a significant increase in calls from overburdened parents and children with problems.
Experiences of violence were discussed more frequently by children and young people in the 2020 pandemic year than in 2019, reports spokeswoman Anna Zacharias.
Around 9,200 children and young people with a problem of violence turned to the children's and youth helpline - around 15 percent more than in 2019. Online advice was also used more often, by around 1,100 children and young people - 17 percent more than in 2019.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210423-99-321117 / 2
Medical child protection hotline
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Children's project Ark
German Child Protection Association
Number against grief