Coming to terms with abuse: Evangelical Advisory Board for Affected Persons “failed”


Coming to terms with abuse
Evangelical Advisory Board for Affected Persons “failed”

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) wants to face up to its responsibility by dealing with cases of abuse in its communities and is setting up a committee in September 2020. Now she announces its failure.

A new body of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) to deal with sexualised violence started its work only about six months ago – and is now stopping it after quarrels. The previous concept had failed, announced the EKD in Hanover. The work of the previous body will therefore now be suspended and evaluated externally. “On the basis of the evaluation, new forms of participation are to be discussed with the original members of the Advisory Board,” it said.

A few days ago, after five of the original twelve members resigned, an application for dissolution had been submitted. The “Spiegel” reported that those affected had left the advisory board partly because of displeasure with the EKD. Accordingly, the lack of equipment and inadequate allowances for the work were criticized, but also the fact that representatives of the advisory board were not allowed to attend meetings of the EKD council. The Evangelical Church is not keeping its promise to deal with it on an equal footing, said Katharina Kraft from the Advisory Board for those affected at the beginning of March. Six months after starting the work on the advisory board, you feel that you are not being taken seriously.

Abuse study initiated

The Affected Advisory Board only started work in September 2020. The EKD has taken various steps to deal with abuse. With their financial support, an extensive abuse study began in December with the aim of uncovering structures in the Protestant Church that encourage sexual violence and make it difficult to come to terms with it.

In its communication, the EKD also spoke of internal conflicts in the committee. The members represent different areas of the church in which there has been abuse in the past few decades, including former children in care in diakonia. So far, the EKD has identified around 785 victims of abuse under church roofs. “The involvement of those affected in coming to terms with sexualised violence is central and indispensable for the Protestant Church. We are sticking to this,” said the responsible spokesman for the Commissioner Council, the regional bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Braunschweig, Christoph Meyns. “In the current situation, however, it has become clear that the form of participation chosen so far has reached its limits. This is extremely painful for everyone involved.”

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