Why Nancy Faeser wants lesser punishment for sexual offences in Germany

BERLIN – German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has spoken out in favour of toning down legislation governing sexual offences in Germany.

“Tightened penalties have led to youths facing harsh charges if they share nude images with each other,” Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke media group on Friday.

“It is more important to create awareness about the risks of sharing such private matters than to proceed with harsh criminal charges,” Faeser asserted.

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She said it is about priorities in this matter. “The authorities would have the time and space to fight the actually bad offences happening.” Justice ministers at the federal and state levels are currently discussing potential changes.

The possession or distribution of child pornographic content has been considered a crime with a minimum sentence of one year since 2021. However, the stricter section 184b of the penal code often affects young people – for example in the case of sexting, the digital exchange of sexual photos or videos.

If children under the ages of 14 record themselves during a sexual act, these recordings are considered child pornographic content and the possession of such can be penalized once they reach the age of criminal responsibility.