Norbert Denef

Norbert Denef, Vatican City 2010

Norbert Denef speaking with Josef Philip Winkler and Siegmund Ehrmann in the German Bundestag, 2010

Norbert Denef, at the church of Delitzsch, 2009

Norbert Denef (born May 5, 1949 in Delitzsch, Germany) is a German victim of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church.^[1]

Denef was abused in his hometown Delitzsch in the age of 10 to 16 by a priest and aged 16 up to 18 by the parish's organist. The first offender, Alfons Kamphusmann (1924–1998), was a priest since 1952. He worked in Droyßig, Delitzsch, Nordhausen, Langenweddingen, Hecklingen, Wittenberg Piesteritz and Niedertiefenbach (Diocese of Limburg). He retired in 1990 and died eight years later. The second offender, an organist and choir leader of the parish, retired and was never sued. Denef lived on quietly, became the technical manager of the theater in Rüsselsheim, a husband and father of two children. He suppressed the memory of his past. He was wedded by the first offender.

Denef had a breakdown in the age of 40. After that he had to learn to speak about its history which succeeded in November 1993 in his family of origin.^[2] He was offered a compensation from the Diocese of Magdeburg in 2003. He denied to accept the obligation to keep secrecy. In 2005 he received 25.000 Euro. Denef is considered to be the first victim in Germany, which obtained a compensation from the Roman Catholic church for sexual abuse in childhood.^[3]

In 2007 Denef published an autobiography named “Ich wurde sexuell missbraucht”. He is still suffering from the impacts of the crime in his childhood and youth such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.^[4][5][6] Denef submitted a petition at the German Bundestag in 2008 to remove the statute of time limitations on child sexual abuse cases to file a lawsuit. It was refused. Denef is appealing the European Court of Human Rights now.^[7][8] In December 2009 Denef visited the parish church St. Marien in Delitzsch. He did not get a possibility for a dialog. He left an open letter at the door of the church.

Denef founded the Network of victims of sexual violence, briefly named netzwerkB, in April 2010 and became its speaker. During the ecuminical church conference in Germany in May 2011 Denef intervened at the abuse debate in front of some thousand visitors. He criticed that the podium's members talk about victims but not with them.^[9] Bishop Stephan Ackermann, chairman of the German bishop conference, said thereupon : “I am frightened about the development of the event. The man is right: We speak about institution. I have the feeling that the victims got out of the focus.”^{[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

As a speaker of netzwerkB Denef protested against the nonparticipation of victims at a conference series on sexual child abuse organized by the Cabinet of Germany in Berlin in autumn 2010. He complained that too much was talked and too less was done.^[20][21] In December 2010 Denef demonstrated together with members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) against the too careful treatment of clergyman, who abused children. The police banished them from Saint Peter's Square.^[22]

Works

• Ich wurde sexuell missbraucht. Starks-Sture, München 2007, ISBN 978-3939586036.
• Beschwerde gemäß Artikel 34 der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention und Artikel 45 und 47 der Verfahrensordnung des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte gegen die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 24. Februar 2009. (online, pdf file; 267 kB)

References

1. ^ Norbert Denef: Ich wurde sexuell missbraucht. Starks-Sture, München 2007, ISBN 978-3939586036
2. ^ Sexualisierte Gewalt: „Wir sprechen über ein Massenverbrechen“. In: gulli.com, 14 March 2011 (online)
3. ^ Peter Wensierski: Verirrte Hirten. In: Der Spiegel, 5. Dezember 2005 (online)
4. ^ Antje Hildebrandt: Missbrauchsopfer im Interview. „Der Pfarrer war sich keiner Schuld bewusst.“ In: Die Welt, 26. Februar 2010 (online)
5. ^ Antje Hildebrandt: Ein Pfarrer vergriff sich über Jahre hinweg an Norbert Denef. Das Opfer leidet noch heute. In: Märkische Allgemeine, 5. Februar 2010 (online)
6. ^ Interview by Dunja Hayali in ZDF, Morgenmagazin, 26. Februar 2010 (online)
7. ^ Antje Hildebrandt: „Er hat meine Seele getötet.“ In: Stuttgarter Zeitung, 5. Februar 2010 (online)
8. ^ Barbara Hans: Scham fressen Seele auf. In: Der Spiegel, 12. Februar 2010 (online)
9. ^ Das Jahr danach - Die Kirchen und die Vertrauenskrise. In: horizonte, Hessischer Rundfunk, 12. Februar 2011 (video online)
10. ^ Barbara Hans: Missbrauchsopfer zum Kirchentag „Wir wollen endlich gehört werden“. In: Spiegel online, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
11. ^ Ein-Mann-Demo bei Diskussionsrunde. Missbrauchsopfer provoziert Eklat auf Kirchentag. In: Spiegel online, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
12. ^ Kirchentag: Eklat bei Missbrauchsdebatte. In: Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 15. Mai 2010 (online)
13. ^ Matthias Kamann: Missbrauch ist ungewollt das Thema Nummer 1. In: Die Welt, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
14. ^ Heftiger Streit um Missbrauch. In: Rheinische Post, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
15. ^ Missbrauchsopfer stürmt Podium. In: Hamburger Abendblatt, 15. Mai 2010 (online)
16. ^ ARD Brisant: Eklat auf dem Kirchentag. In: ARD, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
17. ^ ARD Tagesschau: Missbrauchsdebatte auf dem Kirchentag. In: ARD, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
18. ^ Das unverschämte Opfer. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 14. Mai 2010 (online)
19. ^ Matthias Kamann: Kritik an Geistlichen gilt noch immer als Majestätsbeleidigung. In: Die Welt, 15. Mai 2010 (online)
20. ^ Runder Tisch. Regierung will Rechte von Missbrauchsopfern stärken. In: Der Spiegel, 1. Dezember 2010 (online)
21. ^ Peter Hanack: Missbrauch: „Das Gesetz schützt die Täter“ In: Frankfurter Rundschau, 6. Januar 2011 (online)
22. ^ Rom: Kardinäle diskutieren sexuellen Missbrauch. In: Tageblatt, 19. November 2010 (online)

External links

• NetzwerkB