Sexual violence is rising. Can Germany talk honestly about why?

The country is edging towards acknowledging uncomfortable truths about sexual violence — but stops short of drawing the conclusions that follow.

Dear Reader,

It is well known that Germany only criminalised rape within marriage in the late 1990s. Until then, the Bundestag was of the opinion that a husband could not force his wife to have sex — that consent, once given at the altar, extended indefinitely.

Less well known is that until 1995, German courts did not classify so-called “honour killings” as murder. Men, mainly Anatolian migrants, who killed female relatives for transgressing against Muslim values were routinely convicted of manslaughter and received comparatively lenient sentences. The courts showed explicit understanding for the cultural motives behind the crimes.

On paper, Germany has come a long way since then. Whether it has done so in practice is another question. What has changed is not necessarily the instinct to excuse — but who is doing the excusing.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz…