Mr. Castellucci, before the federal elections and now also after the Munich abuse report, you were the only federal politician to speak out on the subject of sexual violence. Did I miss other voices?
In the coalition agreement of the traffic light government, the topic of child protection has become more important than ever. But in politics, nothing happens by itself. It always takes people to tackle the issues. I’ve made up my mind.
Why did you react to the report?
It was clear that the report would find strong media coverage. And it was also clear that many were referring to the former Pope Benedict XVI. would concentrate, which is also understandable. But one could also suspect a psychological mechanism behind it. A society can personalize the responsibility for sexual violence and thus shift it away from itself. That is exactly what must not happen.
How are they going to prevent that?
In order to get the topic out of the taboo zone, we have to establish a culture of looking at things together. And this applies to society as a whole, regardless of where and when and by whom sexualized violence is carried out, whether in sports, at school, in homes, in the family or in church.
The silence of other federal politicians or the Bavarian and North Rhine-Westphalian state governments on the findings from the abuse reports in Munich and Cologne could be interpreted as if there was still a very long way to go.
If there is a taboo in society, then politics is not free of it. We politicians, for better or for worse, are often the mirror of society. Conversely, this means that when there is social pressure on a topic, at some point politics can no longer evade it. When in doubt, this does not excuse the fact that politicians could have done more a long time ago. There has been enough need for action in the past. But I am now experiencing a new support for this topic as well.
What makes you so confident?
With the Bundestag elections, Parliament has not only become much younger, but also much more colourful. This is a great opportunity that I didn’t expect. There is a new generation here that is tackling these things more freely and freshly. The resistance, the shyness, the fear of the unpleasant seem to have vanished. In every round in which domestic policy priorities were discussed – whether together with the Minister of the Interior or simply with colleagues – the social significance of questions of sexualized violence was also immediately addressed. And not only with regard to the churches, but for children and young people in general, but also for people with disabilities and of course for women. The more allies we are, the more we can make a difference.
Can you describe the resistances you are talking about in more detail?
Institutions that are affected fear for their reputation. There are more pleasant subjects for politicians. It might be better to open a new sports facility than to comment on the subject of abuse, that may be the case. There can also be experiences of a very personal nature that make you shy away from it. You have to break this taboo complex slowly but surely.
www.faz.net
