Overview
- Researchers from the Universities of Marburg and Gießen presented findings in Cologne that characterize the association as structurally afflicted by sexualized violence.
- The study drew on interviews, document reviews and a non-representative survey reporting high self-reported and observed rates; researchers said limited diocesan archival access prevented a reliable victim count.
- Perpetrators were predominantly male group leaders who exploited power over mostly female minors, with peer-to-peer incidents also documented.
- Camps, traditional rituals and alcohol were identified as recurring contexts that enabled abuse within the organization.
- DPSG leaders apologized, accepted institutional failure and committed to externally overseen reform with survivor participation, while not ruling out the association’s dissolution.