Media legal experts Sünje Andresen and Stephan Dreyer comment on the draft bill presented by the Federal Ministry of Justice (BJM) in November 2023 to adjust the minimum penalties for the distribution, acquisition, and possession of child pornography content (Section 184b (1) sentence 1 and (3) of the German Criminal Code).
Conclusion
The BMJ’s initiative to reverse the criticized tightening of criminal law in this area is to be welcomed. It is undisputed that fighting child pornography and sexual abuse is an important task for legislators and law enforcement. To fulfill its duty to protect children’s rights, the legislator should take the reform as an opportunity to implement further changes to the criminal law on sexual offences.
In this context, it would also appear necessary to consider and reform Section 184c StGB. The fact that young people who engage in consensual sexting with other young people as part of their right to sexual self-determination are also covered by the wording of the offense appears to be a current violation in view of the children’s rights to which they are entitled. It is important that Section 184c is worded so clearly that young people who engage in consensual sexting are not criminalized.