The Commissioner

Kerstin Claus was appointed Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM) by the Federal Cabinet on the 30th of March 2022.

Acting on the recommendation made by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSJF), the Federal Cabinet appointed Kerstin Claus as the new Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM) under a cabinet resolution adopted on the 30^th of March 2022. She took Office on the 1^st of April 2022. Her term of office will be 5 years.

Kerstin Claus, who is a journalist and systemic organisational counsellor, has been active for many years in a full-time and voluntary capacity combating sexual violence against children and adolescents. She was a survivor advocate at the survivors’ board at UBSKM (2015 - 2022) and the National Council against Sexual Violence inflicted on Children and Adolescents (2019 - 2022) and she has also advised institutions and politicians about preventing, intervening, helping and inquiry with the issues.

Professional activities

Since April 2022
Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse Issues (UBSKM), term of office: 5 years

Since 2015
Counselling and training with a focus on prevention/intervention and survivor compensation law/help systems (also for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Family, Women, Culture and Integration in Rhineland-Pfalz as well as the Ministry for Children, Family, Refugees and Integration in North Rhine-Westphalia, cooperating with the state action plan for protecting children and adolescents against sexualised violence implemented by the Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration in Hesse, supporting counselling under the pact against sexual violence implemented in Rhineland-Pfalz in cooperation with the Ministry for Family Affairs, Women, Culture and Integration in Rhineland-Pfalz, providing supplementary assistance and a compensation fund for the survivors of sexualised violence for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

1996 – 2022
Editor of “ZDF heute”, “Heute journal”, in ZDF’s Munich regional studio between 2001 and 2004, SWR radio, Deutsche Welle TV, Southern Africa

2001 – 2004
Heinrich Böll Foundation / South Africa, various on-site project works (press, PR, events, training)

Voluntary work

2016 – 2022
Survivor advocate in the UBSKM’s survivors’ board (this also includes being a guest participant in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, a member of the UBSKM’s "Ecclesiastical Inquiry" working group, a member of the survivors’ board’s press working group and the UBSKM’s concept group for Victims Compensation Law / Supplementary Aid System)

2019 – 2022
Member of the National Council against Sexual Violence Inflicted on Children and Adolescents at the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth / UBSKM

Since 2015
Autismus Rheinhessen e. V. (member of the board from 2018 – 2021)

Since 2010
Member of BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN

Studies

2016 – 2020
Kaiserslautern Technical University: Systemic Counselling (M. A.), Master's thesis topic: "(Im)possibility of Inquiry of sexual violence against children and adolescents in an ecclesiastical context: systemic considerations against the background of the compensation debate in Germany".

1995 – 1996
Syracuse University, N.Y. / USA: Broadcast journalism (Fulbright Commission grant to study for a master’s degree in the USA)

1990 - 2000
Regensburg University / Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich: Modern German literature, German as a foreign language and Economic and social history (M. A.)

School education

1990
University-entrance diploma from Vilshofen grammar school

Born 1969 in Munich, married, 2 children