Germany records 111 rape cases in one year

Admin I Wednesday, May 29, 2024

 

BERLIN – Police in Berlin registered 111 cases of rape by more than one perpetrator last year. This marks an increase compared to previous years, when the number fluctuated between 89 and 106, the Berlin Senate said.

Eighteen of the 111 victims were in the 14 to 15 age group. There were also 10 victims aged 16 to 17 and 13 between 18 and 20. Of the 106 suspects identified, 25 were under the age of 18 and 28 suspects were aged between 18 and 24.

Forty-one of the offences took place in flats and apartment blocks; 16 occurred in parks. The proportion of suspects with a foreign nationality was 54%. In the previous year it was 65%, before that 44% and 51%.

The police assume there is a significant number of unreported cases of sexual offences and rape because many victims stay silent out of shame or fear of the perpetrator.

The fact that the offences become known “is clearly dependent on the willingness of the victims to report them and the actual course of the offence is often very individual,” the Berlin Senate said.

The Senate provided the data upon request by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

A case in September 2020, in which a 15-year-old girl was raped by several men in a park in Hamburg, caused particular outrage. Nine men were sentenced to prison in a trial, some of whom have appealed.

In Berlin, three men were recently charged with an alleged gang rape in Görlitzer Park. According to the indictment, the men allegedly attacked a married couple in June 2023 and raped the then 27-year-old woman. The trial was initially cancelled because the woman did not appear in court.