rape in germany rape in germany rape in germany is defined by section 177 of the criminal code of germany. the definition of rape has changed over time from its original formulation in the penal code established in 1871, as extramarital intercourse with a woman by force or the threat. in 1997 laws were amended to criminalize marital rape, incorporate gender-neutral language, and recognize the effect of psychological coercion. in 2016 german laws were rewritten to remove a previous requirement that a victim physically resist their assailants and be overcome by force. the new law recognized any physical or verbal cue that one party does not consent to sexual contact. it also mandated deportation for migrants convicted of sexual assault, made it easier to prosecute rapes committed by groups, and criminalized other types of unwanted sexual contact, such as groping or fondling. the changes followed a series of high-profile cases that sparked public outrage at the inadequacy of the law. rape 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marry-your-rapist law rape shield law false accusation of rape rape investigation rape kit sexual consent in law related articles history of rape date rape drug rape statistics rape by gender rape of males anti-rape device rape crisis centers rape investigation rape myth rape pornography rape and revenge films rape fantasy rape schedule anti-rape movement portals law portal wir haben gesichter, in english "we have faces", a monument in viktoriapark, kreuzberg, at the site where a woman was raped in march 2002 incidence of rape in germany has remained relatively stable, rising from 7.57 in 1995, to 9 per 100,000 people in 2009. most victims are female and between the ages of 21 and 40. nearly all perpetrators are male, and about half are current or former partners. conviction rates have declined, going from 20% in the 1980s to as low as 8% in 2016, prior to major legislative reforms. germany was the site of mass rape by the invading soviet army, during the latter part of world war ii, with the estimated number of victims ranging from tens of thousands to as many as two million. world war ii further information: rape during the occupation of germany in the soviet invasion of germany during world war ii a large number of mass rapes were committed by the red army, in germany as well as in other countries previously occupied by the nazi army. estimates range from tens of thousands to as many as two million victims, with non-slavic and particularly ethnically german women targeted. in the words of one contemporary observer, "the russian soldiers were raping every german female from eight to eighty." many victims were mutilated, and subjected to gang rape or repeated rape over the course of several days. the soviet leadership did little to prevent the violence. some have estimated the number of rapes committed by u.s. servicemen in germany to be 11,000, with the phrase "copulation without conversation is not fraternization" allegedly being used as a motto by united states army troops. one survey estimates that the french occupation forces committed "385 rapes in the constance area; 600 in bruchsal; and 500 in freudenstadt." french moroccan soldiers were alleged to have committed widespread rape in the höfingen district near leonberg. according to historian norman naimark and colleagues, "the poor discipline and rapacity of soviet soldier was matched in the western zones only by french moroccan troops," specifically during the occupations of baden and württemberg. modern prevalence incidents of rape in germany from 1977 to 2003, according to statistics published by the federal criminal police office the prevalence of rape in germany has remained relatively stable, and although the country has the second highest overall number of rapes reported in the eu, the number of reports per capita is average for the region. as of 1995 the recorded incidence of rape in germany was 7.57 per 100,000 people. in 2009, about 7,314 rape cases were reported, a rate of 9 per 100,000 people. in 2011, there were about 7,539 reported cases of rape. in a 2005 study by the federal ministry of family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth, out of a sample of 10,264 women, 13% had experienced sexual violence after the age of 16, and of these, only 8% had reported the incident to law enforcement.: 13 from the same study, 6% reported experiencing rape, 4% attempted rape, 5% forced physical intimacy, and 4% some other form of forced sexual encounter. nearly all (99%) of perpetrators were male, and half (49%) were current or former partners. for victims of sexual violence, 79% reported psychological symptoms, and 44% physical injuries. a study into sexual abuse sponsored by the european commission and conducted by the vienna-based fundamental rights agency showed 8% of women had experienced sexual violence by partners, and 7% had experienced sexual violence by non-partners. overall, between 92% and 96% of victims were female, and 70% were aged 21 to 40. around 25% of victims were non-white, more than half were employed or students, and 6% experienced mental health issues, while 2% had some disability. der spiegel cited official crime statistics that 9.1% of sexual assaults reported in 2016 with at least one suspect registered had at least one suspect identified as an immigrant, a rise from 1.8% in 2012, and 2.6% in 2014. some of this rise was attributed to the fact that in 2016, groping was made a criminal offence. there is little data on rape or other sexual violence directed toward males, with "nearly all" available studies of sexual violence examining women as victims, and sexual violence against men "almost ignored". when taken into consideration, it is mostly concerning abuse of boys, rather than rape or assault as it pertains to adult males. one national study in germany from 2004, as reported in a 2009 thesis, indicated that between 10% and 20% of boys are in some respect sexually abused, with about 33% of perpetrators being female. public debate on migrant crime in 2018 a 14-year-old german jewish girl, susanna feldmann was raped and murdered on the night of the 22 or 23 may 2018. ali bashar, a 20-year-old asylum seeker from iraqi kurdistan, was named as a suspect. the murder sparked a political debate in germany. ethnologist and head of the research centre of global islam susanne schröter at the goethe university frankfurt, said that these were no longer isolated incidents, speaking of a culture clash and suggesting that germany needed to develop a new approach for dealing with aggressive men shaped by patriarchal cultures. according to schröter, there are within islam, as with other religions, patriarchal norms that legitimize violence and sexual assault against specific types of women, and therefore some men from islamic countries may view women in a completely different way. far-right parties and social media exploited the case for their own ends. a fact-checking article in der spiegel found that fears of immigrant crime had been amplified by far-right propaganda in the public debate beyond the actual increase which was supported by official statistics. law enforcement response according to a national report, the conviction rate for rape in germany has declined: it was 20% in the 1980s, and by 2000 it was 13%. according to reports from deutsche presse-agentur, prior to legal changes in 2016, 8% of rape trials resulted in a conviction. conviction rates varied substantially across geographic areas, and according to income, with the three richest states having a conviction rate of 24% and seeing number of cases reduced to nearly 65% of their former levels, and the three poorest states seeing a 40% increase in cases and a 4% conviction rate. of those reported to authorities, most (87%) were reported by the victim, 96% were interviewed and provided a witness statement, but only 23% received a forensic medical examination, one of the lowest in the eu. legal history discussion of rape has long been a taboo in germany, with victims, women's rights organizations, and politicians struggling for support on issues pertaining to sexual abuse and violence. there have been recent political discussions of reforming related laws so that they comply with the istanbul convention, which requires all signatories to ensure that engaging in any non-consensual act of a sexual nature is criminalized. rape is generally reported to the police, although it is also allowed to be reported to the prosecutor or district court. many urban areas and states have specialist units for rape and sexual assault, but these efforts are not coordinated at the federal level, and the presence of such a unit is dependent on the finances of the area, and such units are absent in many rural areas. because of the german statutory maximum sentences, the harshest punishment possible for rape is imprisonment for a period of 15 years. however, because it is not legally a form of punishment, courts may order "subsequent preventive detention" following the completion of a prison sentence for rape, in cases where the perpetrator suffers from a mental disorder, or would represent a serious danger to the public upon release. these may be of an indefinite period, subject to periodic reviews. officials may also temporarily deny perpetrators access to the household without a court order, put them under a restraining order, and require them to pay damages. the statute of limitations for severe sexual coercion is 20 years, and that for less serious cases is 10. in cases where the victim is a minor, this timeframe begins once the child turns 18 years-of-age. penal code of 1871 according to the german penal code established in 1871, the definition of rape was to compel "a woman to have extramarital intercourse...by force or the threat of present danger to life or limb," and was punishable by at least two years imprisonment. the law thus excluded any sexual contact between a married couple. rape was grouped, along with sodomy and incest, as "crimes against personal honor, marriage, and the family." more extensive punishments were provided in cases where the victim (presumed to be female only) was younger than 16, in cases of gang rape, and in cases of "major physical violence". post-war legislation and 1973 reforms the german penal code experienced a number of changes during the nazi era. changes considered in keeping with nazi philosophy were removed by the allied control council during the re-establishment of germany. a 1966 ruling of the bundesgerichtshof required married women to have sexual intercourse with their partners "repeatedly" and prescribed they must not be "unresponsive" during the consummation. between 1969 and 1974 the west german penal code was reformed by five different pieces of legislation. the fourth law for the reform of the penal code, dated 23 november 1973 (viertes gesetz zur reform des strafrechts - 4. strrg), introduced changes shifting the focus from violations of morality to violations against the individual. 1997 reforms in 1997, a broader definition was adopted, making the law gender neutral, abolishing the marital exemption, recognizing sexual violence which did not include penetration, and expanding the definition of force to include psychological coercion. this was done through the 13th criminal amendment, section 177–179, which deals with sexual abuse. the 1997 reform (due to the dreiunddreißigstes strafrechtsänderungsgesetz, 33rd law to change the penal code) created a new system by combining sexual assault and rape into one statue, with sexual assault as the "base" crime. rape, which was now defined as involving penetration, was made into a subset of sexual assault, as a particularly