The Federal Republic of Germany on Wednesday approved draft legislation that will allow for tougher punishment for the sexual abuse of children and the possession of child pornography, Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Christine Lambrecht said live on the N24 TV channel
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2020) The Federal Republic of Germany on Wednesday approved draft legislation that will allow for tougher punishment for the sexual abuse of children and the possession of child pornography, Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Christine Lambrecht said live on the N24 tv channel.
According to the legislation, the distribution of child pornography should be classified as a crime, and if it is committed, the minimum punishment of a year in prison should be applied. The distribution of child pornography in Germany is currently considered as an offense that carries a minor fine. Sexual abuse against a child will entail a punishment of up to 15 years in prison instead of the current maximum of 10 years.
"Crimes against children must be clearly classified as crimes. It is also important for me that the distribution of child pornography, that is, when money is earned from a crime, is categorized unambiguously as a crime in the future. Every criminal must understand they will act very consistently here," the minister said.
The legislation must be passed by parliament.
The number of crimes connected with child pornography rose sharply in Germany in 2019, according to the annual statistical report of the German Ministry of Internal Affairs, published in April. There were 25,000 cases of child abuse and over 12,000 investigated cases of crimes related to exploitative images of children. This indicates a significant increase in the number of crimes related to the distribution of pornography (51.6 percent), primarily child pornography (64.6 percent) last year.
