Germany has recently passed legislation that will reduce the severity of punishment for individuals found guilty of possessing child pornography.
The German Bundestag confirmed this change in a press release on Wednesday, stating that the new law lowers the minimum sentences for the distribution, acquisition, and possession of child pornographic content and reclassifies these offenses as misdemeanors rather than crimes.
According to the Bundestag, the revised legislation specifies that “possession and acquisition should be punishable with a minimum penalty of three months’ imprisonment, and distribution with a minimum penalty of six months’ imprisonment.”
The law aims to provide greater flexibility in dealing with juvenile offenders found guilty of such offenses. The legislation notes that a downgrade to a misdemeanor is necessary to respond appropriately to the large proportion of juvenile offenders, who often act out of typical adolescent drives such as naivety, curiosity, thirst for adventure, or the desire to impress, rather than to be sexually aroused by the content.
This legislative change was supported by the country’s left-wing coalition but opposed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Germany’s largest opposition party.
The CDU argued that the distribution, possession, and acquisition of child pornography should remain classified as crimes, stating that a blanket reduction in the penalty range is not the solution to practical problems that have arisen.
The party suggested that changes should be limited to addressing specific problem cases effectively and that scientific findings
