Overview

• The Fonds Sexueller Missbrauch received 35,578 applications and paid out about €165.2 million before its budget was depleted ahead of the original August deadline.
• The application cut-off was abruptly moved from August 31 to March 19, prompting Kerstin Claus and survivor groups to denounce the change as a betrayal.
• Victims relied on the fund’s low-threshold support for therapy and medical needs without proving health damage, making its sudden halt especially disruptive.
• A 2024 Federal Court of Audit ruling on budget non-compliance led the Bundestag to plan the fund’s wind-down by 2028 without establishing a successor framework.
• Karin Prien intends to introduce legislation in the Bundestag to secure additional funding and create a legally sound support system by January 2026.