Thousands of minors abused by German Protestant Church

BERLIN: The German Protestant Church on Thursday acknowledged it did not do enough to protect children after an independent study revealed thousands of cases of sexual abuse within the organisation.

The study estimated that the number of minors who fell victim to church ministers and staff may be as high as 9,355.

Researchers made the calculation after reviewing the files in 2,225 documented cases of assault, which identified 1,259 potential perpetrators since 1946.

The limited evidence provided by regional churches meant the figure was likely just “the tip of the tip of the iceberg”, co-author Martin Wazlawik said at a press conference.

The study is an indictment for the German Protestant Church (EKD), which had long managed to avoid the sort of scandal that engulfed the Catholic Church.

The head of the EKD, Kirsten Fehrs, said in a statement that the results of the study showed a “massive failure” towards the victims.

“We did not protect them at the time of the crime and we did not treat them with dignity when they found the courage to come forward,” Fehrs said, promising to continue work to make amends.

To date, the Protestant Church´s efforts to bring light to the circumstances of abuse had been worse than their more-criticised Catholic counterparts, said study co-author Harald Dressing.

The “slow work” of regional churches to deliver documents, despite a contractual agreement to make them available, meant the study could not be carried out fully, Dressing said.