ATHENS

Over 18,000 children and adolescents were victims of sexual crimes in Germany last year, an official government report said on Monday.

According to a report jointly presented by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Federal Criminal Police Office Vice President Martina Link, 16,375 cases of sexual abuse of children, up 5.5% from the previous year, and 1,200 cases of sexual exploitation of adolescents, up 5.7% from the previous year, were recorded in 2023.

Last year, 401 cases of sexual exploitation of minors were also recorded in Germany.

Last year also saw a new high in cases of the production, distribution, acquisition, and possession of child pornography, with 45,191 such cases, the report exposed.

It also warned that the internet is becoming increasingly important both as a way to commit sexual crimes and as a sexual crime scene.