For the first time since the rape scandal in a youth center in Berlin-Neukölln became known, district youth councilor Sarah Nagel (Left) has had to ask herself questions in public. At a meeting of the youth welfare committee, Nagel was primarily supposed to explain how it came about that the youth welfare office had not filed a criminal complaint about alleged rape, even though it had already been informed about it for several weeks. Among other things, she had to admit: “I’m aware that it’s a bit slow.” Her statements about criminal charges in general also raise questions.

The meeting, at which several topics were on the agenda, got off to a bad start for the district councilor. A majority of the committee rejected their request to exclude the public and the press from the one-hour question time. Not least because it was already clear before the vote that there should be a special meeting of the Youth Welfare Committee just on this topic in order to be able to talk more “freely” about the events.

Left-wing city councilor has to admit several mistakes

In her opening statement, Nagel tried to explain from the perspective of the youth welfare office the processes and omissions that had led to a drastic delay in filing criminal charges.

But after the first questions from committee members, the left-wing politician had to admit that the youth welfare office had not adhered to reporting chains and protocol regulations. And this despite the fact that the youth welfare office had known since January that a 16-year-old girl was said to have been raped last fall in the garden of the youth center on Wutzkyallee.

Nagel admitted that the first incidents of sexual assaults on girls in the youth center had already become known in February 2025. More followed in the summer. However, the situation as to what exactly happened when and where is “confusing,” said the youth city councilor.

Nagel on criminal complaint: “I’m aware that this is slow”

She herself was “shocked” that her department only found out about the rape on February 27 through a Senate inquiry. She was only informed on March 2nd. The youth welfare office should have taken on greater responsibility, both in terms of looking after the victim and identifying the perpetrators.

When asked by a Green Party committee member why she only filed a criminal complaint on March 11, nine days later, Nagel explained: “I’m aware that it’s a bit slow.” To add to the astonishment of some listeners, they also asked themselves what sense it made to file a criminal complaint if they didn’t know who the alleged perpetrator was. “Of course I don’t want something like this to remain without consequences.”

Nagel rejected further allegations that youth welfare office employees had deliberately not filed a criminal complaint in order to prevent “stigmatization” of certain ethnic groups.

Youth Welfare Office even missed a “child protection report”

Nagel pointed out several times that the level of training and training measures on how youth facilities should proceed in cases of sexual harassment needed to be examined. However, in response to persistent questions from committee members, the district councilor had to admit that such long periods and processes “are not common”. The youth welfare office and she herself should have reacted much earlier and actively to the events.

The CDU committee member Gerrit Kringel reminded the district councilor that there is an official procedure with the “child protection report” through which such cases have to be recorded internally and appropriate measures taken. When asked whether there was documentation with protocols in the case of the alleged rape, the district councilor replied: “No.”

Sharp criticism from the CDU

CDU parliamentary group leader Markus Oegel told FOCUS online that the way Nagel dealt with the reappraisal did not deserve this name. “As we have just heard, there have been incidents of sexual harassment for a year now. But neither the youth welfare office nor the district councilor can say how many cases there are in total.”

What makes him “stunned” is that the commission, which is supposed to deal with the grievances, is only supposed to be constituted on April 16th – “and this without it being clear who is actually a member.”

During the committee meeting it became known that Berlin’s youth senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) had called for the head of the Neukölln youth welfare office to be released along with employees who knew about the rape. When Kringel asked Nagel whether they would comply with the demand, the district councilor replied: “We’ll have to wait and see.”