"Victims all have a voice. People who have experienced violence have voices, only they are not heard", Detlev Zander, victim. A year ago, Wildwasser Wiesbaden e. V. opened the "Specialist counselling centre against sexualized violence for male* victims". The advice center offers those affected a space where they and their stories can be heard. "However, the aim of Wildwasser Wiesbaden e.V. is not to support those affected in their individual coping, but also to make their voices visible and audible to the public," says Anika Nagel, Managing Director of Wildwasser Wiesbaden e.V.

For this reason, the documentary "The Children from Korntal" will be shown on Thursday, March 20 at 5.30 pm at the Caligari Filmbühne, Marktplatz 9. The film, which won an award at the DOK Leipzig Festival, tells the story of one of the most far-reaching cases of abuse in church homes. The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Julia Charakter, cameraman Jonas Eckert and those affected, who also have their say in the film

Korntal, a tranquil small town in Baden-Württemberg, becomes the scene of one of the biggest abuse scandals in the Protestant Church in Germany. From the 1950s onwards, hundreds of children were abused in the local homes of the Pietist Brethren congregation; they were subjected to forced labour, corporal punishment and sexualized violence. The scandal became public in 2013. To date, more than 150 former children from the home have broken their silence and more than 80 perpetrators have been identified. The community of 9,000 initially reacted to the allegations with doubt and rejection: many could not or did not want to imagine such a thing happening in their Christian Korntal. A reappraisal process was initiated, but many of those affected described this process as abuse after abuse. They continue to fight for a hearing, recognition, respect and dignity. In her film, Julia Charakter gives those affected space to tell their stories and to name what they believe the investigation report conceals.

Tickets are available online at www.wiesbaden.de/caligari, at the box office of the Caligari Filmbühne, Marktplatz 9, or at the Tourist Information Office, Marktplatz 1, for 9 euros, reduced 8 euros, or 7 euros with a Wiesbadener Filmkunstkarte.

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