Help with sexual violence and harassment


consulting services

Our topic

Sexual violence is violence that happens in secret and reckons with the silence of those who are affected and the environment surrounding them. This makes it really difficult for those affected people to share their experiences.

Sexual violence is mainly directed against women, boys and girls, but men can also be affected.
Dependency relationships can also be exploited in cross-border ways in the ecclesiastical fields of work.

Sexual violence and harassment have many faces. They show up in

# seemingly random, unwanted body contact
# judgmental comments e.g. about appearance and behavior
# Telephone conversations, letters and e-mails with sexual allusions
# bringing along and showing pornographic books and pictures
# Promise of occupational benefits with sexual condolence
# abuses in counseling and counseling situations
# sexual abuse and rape


Our point of view

Fact is

# that all girls and boys, women and men have the right to feel comfortable in the YMCA Rahden and in our community, in groups and social circles.
# that sexual violence and harassment are always an attack on the person.
# that the violation of one’s own dignity does not have to be tolerated out of shame or to protect the offender.
# that neither hurtful behavior, nor sexual violence or harassment is tolerated in any area of ​​the “Evangelischen Kirchenkreis Lübbecke”.
# that sexual violence or harassment in the church are criminal offenses.
# that the employment protection law also obliges the church employer to protect the rights of those affected.


The first step

Talk about it

The EKvW (Evangelical Church of Westphalia) has supplemented its range of services by setting up its own regional church specialized department in September. This means that there are now new contacts available in the areas of “intervention” and “prevention“. This structural change is in line with the implementing regulation of the Church Act for the Protection against Sexualized Violence (KGSsG), which means that the legal basis has also changed. All of this is now clearly presented in the updated flyers.

CONCRETE No. 01: What is sexual violence?
CONCRETE No. 02: What can victims do?
CONCRETE No. 03: Where can I report sexual violence?