The German Judges Association has warned of serious shortcomings in the country’s prosecutor offices when it comes to tackling digital violence against women. Federal director Sven Rebehn told the “Rheinische Post” on Tuesday that “point‑of‑law tightening and additional training for investigators alone are not enough”. He highlighted the rising epidemic‑scale of deepfakes, sexualised digital abuse, child‑abuse imagery and hate‑crime cases online.
Rebehn says the problem is not a lack of knowledge but stark personnel deficits in the responsible authorities, which slow effective prosecution of violence against women and children. “In many understaffed prosecutor offices, three investigators have to do the work of four, and criminal proceedings are now being discontinued prematurely” he said. He warned that if state finance ministers continue to refuse to adequately staff and resettle these offices to meet growing demands, tougher criminal laws will lose their impact.