Finance

The Protestant churches in North Rhine-Westphalia also want to award victims of abuse individual payments in recognition of their suffering from the beginning of next year. Whether a separate study will be commissioned has yet to be decided.

There is little that Maria (name changed by the editors) has not gone through in her short life. She ran away from home, tried to take her own life several times and experienced sexual violence. But now she is happy, says the 18-year-old and takes a big sip from her coffee cup. One of the people who helped her find her new happiness was the staff at Essen's emergency sleeping center for young people. Since 2001, they have opened their doors and ears every night to up to eight homeless young people.