Sexual Boundaries Violated: Vienna Association Limes Now Also Treats Children Under 14 Years

According to psychotherapist Simader, there are repeated sexual boundary violations by children living in shared accommodations. But minors who are in families but have already had contact with child and youth welfare services also come to the association. In these cases of sexual boundary violations, it often involves "intrafamilial assaults, where siblings become aggressive with each other." The Vienna Child and Youth Welfare Service has so far referred six minors for therapy, a spokesperson for MA 11 said in response to an APA inquiry. The collaboration with the association thus began in 2023. According to Simader, the pilot project started last year.

Sexual Boundary Violations: How Children Come to the Vienna Association Limes

Unlike adult men who receive a court order, in the pilot project, the child and youth welfare service sends the under-14s to the Limes association. "For each child, a clearing is conducted before referral to determine what specific support is needed. The WKJH naturally covers all costs," said MA 11. According to the office, the pilot project will continue. The association also works with child and youth welfare services around Vienna, in Lower Austria, and in Burgenland, and according to Simader, he is receiving more inquiries.

The minors are treated in individual and group settings, and for those under 14, discussions with their caregivers are particularly important, according to Simader. Regardless of the age of the clients, the Limes association sees attachment disorders in many of the men who have violated sexual boundaries. These disorders can arise, for example, from relationship breaks with important caregivers such as parents. Frequent changes of close caregivers, because the children are repeatedly placed in different group homes, can also be a cause.

The boundary violations addressed by the association include not only sexual assaults ("hands-on offenses") but also the consumption or distribution of child abuse images ("hands-off offenses"). The association does not notice a general increase in hands-on offenses, especially among adolescents. However, there have been more cases of hands-off offenses in the years following the pandemic. The reasons for this, according to Simader, lie in the fact that much shifted to the internet during the pandemic. But investigative techniques have also improved.

(APA/Red.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.