[How Active is the Catholic Church in the Prevention of Sexual Abuse? Preliminary Results of the MHG-Study].

OBJECTIVE

A subproject of the study "Sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and deacons in the authority of the German Bishops' conference" deals with aspects of prevention.

METHOD: Structured questions were used to record objective data on preventive work. The questionnaire was completed in all 27 dioceses of Germany.

RESULTS

The average hourly rate available for the work of the prevention officers is about 30 hours per week. At the end of 2014, 59 % of clerics were involved in preventive training. The temporal extent of prevention training differs greatly between individual dioceses.

DISCUSSION: The Catholic Church of Germany has undertaken extensive efforts to implement a comprehensive prevention work to avoid sexual abuse of minors within catholic institutions. However, there are considerable differences between the individual dioceses.