THEMATIC SERIES I

Since 1 July 2025, Germany has had a new law in place: the Act to Strengthen the Structures against Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents. It is intended to reinforce ongoing efforts at Aufarbeitung – the process of working through past violence and addressing its lasting effects – that have gained momentum in Germany since 2010. That year, media coverage of the abuse scandal at Berlin’s Canisius College triggered an intense public debate. In response, politicians, churches, and civil society organisations established a range of commissions to work through this kind of violence and other bodies tasked with exploring how to address these wrongs, which had long escaped public scrutiny. This series explores what Aufarbeitung can achieve, where its limits lie, and how different perspectives shape its process. Laurens Schlicht speaks with

Episode 2: Harald Wiester (Berlin), a survivor of sexualised violence and member of several commissions tasked with Aufarbeitung

Episode 3: Lena Haase and Lutz Raphael (Trier), historians leading a research study on Aufarbeitung within the Diocese of Trier

Episode 4: Peter Caspari (Munich), a psychologist who directs the Institute for Practice Research and Project Consulting (Institut für Praxisforschung und Projektberatung) in Munich, which conducts studies commissioned to work through past sexualised violence

Episode 5: Sabine Andresen (Frankfurt), who chaired the Independent Commission for Working Through Child Sexual Abuse (Unabhängige Kommission zur Aufarbeitung sexuellen Kindesmissbrauchs) from 2016 to 2019