Physical assaults in the cultural sector: “The extent of sexual harassment and violence remains frightening”

In Germany, those affected by sexual violence in the culture and media sector have been able to report to the Themis trust center since May 2018. It offers legal and psychological advice as well as help with complaints about the employer. Now the Berlin-based trust, which employs seven people, has published new figures about its work.

Accordingly, the team conducted over 600 consultations last year. This included 105 people who contacted the office for the first time. Of them, 55 reported physical sexual harassment and 13 reported rape. The rest was verbal, non-verbal or digital harassment.

In 2024, of the people counseled for the first time, 44 spoke about sexual harassment, 17 had experienced rape and 68 had experienced verbal or non-verbal assault. At 70 percent, the majority of attacks affected women, with men in over 80 percent of cases. The majority of harassment came from superiors or higher-ranking people.

More complaints are being filed

Martina Zöllner, President of the Themis Trust since 2025, commented in a press release: “The extent of sexual harassment and violence in the cultural and media sectors is still frightening.” However, the high number of conversations shows that Themis now has a certain level of trust in the industries it supports.

According to the announcement, the need for advice is increasing: from January to the end of March this year, Themis has already carried out 184 consultations. This included 42 people who came forward for the first time. Of them, 20 reported physical assaults.

According to managing director Maren Lansink, employees are now more likely to dare to file a complaint under the General Equal Treatment Act. “In the beginning there was hardly anyone who dared to contact the employer with a complaint,” she says.

Themis President Martina Zöllner adds: “It seems to be becoming clear that real changes only come about when the culture of silence is broken, attention is drawn to the incidents and a real change in behavior is demanded.”