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Hospital sex abuse claim ‘just the latest’

A German hospital worker has been suspended after allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl in his care - and it has emerged that despite earlier similar allegations, he had been working in the children's department since 2008.

Hospital sex abuse claim 'just the latest'
Photo: DPA

It took a week for the director of Berlin’s Charité hospital to be told about the allegations against the nursing assistant, and he admitted on Wednesday that the man had been accused of touching children inappropriately in the past.

The girl, who has not been named, arrived at the Charité children’s emergency department late last Tuesday night with an “acute illness”, the Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.

She was given sedatives and the nursing assistant supervised her getting undressed, which was when he allegedly touched her genitals.

The girl told her father who alerted the doctor on duty and by the afternoon the man, who had worked at the hospital for nearly 40 years, had been suspended.

It was not until nearly a week later that the hospital director Karl Max Einhäupl found out what had happened. “We have a communication problem,” he admitted at the Wednesday evening press conference.

He also said that the man had been linked to three other incidents of indecent behaviour against children at the hospital. They are thought to have taken place around five years ago. He has been working in children’s emergency department since 2008.

An investigation has been launched to see if there have been other victims. The hospital said it would be setting up a hotline for those with information or questions and Einhäupl said staff would be contacting parents of children treated recently in the department.

Berlin’s state senator for science Sandra Scheeres, who is politically responsible for the Charité, told the Tagesspiegel that “we need all the facts on the table and I want to know who knew what and what decisions were made.” She said she could not understand why the man had been able to continue working with children after the first allegations.

This is not the first time that the Charité has made the headlines in the past few months. In October a newborn baby died after several were infected with faecal bacteria – although it was later said that the cause of death was not the infection.

Shortly after this, two men came into the oncology department and badly beat a doctor with wooden planks, seemingly in connection with his treatment of a woman.

DAPD/The Local/jcw

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BERLIN

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Farmers in Germany launched fresh protests in Berlin on Friday to call for the government to support agriculture, resulting in disruption across the city.

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Berlin police said there were “considerable traffic disruptions” across the city and the outskirts and especially around Straße des 17. Juni, the government district and the Bundesrat .

Since Thursday morning, Straße des 17. Juni and other streets around the government district in Berlin-Tiergarten have been closed. There will also be closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz through Friday.

A planned rally is due to take place from 12 noon to 5pm on Friday with tractors and lorries around Platz des 18. März, near Brandenburg Gate. 

The action is being held to protest the government’s agricultural policies.

It comes as relief measures – including reduced bureaucracy and tax relief for farmers – went to the Bundesrat on Friday to be voted on as part of the Growth Opportunities Act.

However, farmers are still pushing for their original demand of fully keeping the agricultural diesel subsidy.

READ ALSO: Analysis: Why are German farmers so angry?

Farmers in Germany have been staging similar protests against the policies of the government since the start of the year.

Where are protests taking place?

Here’s a look at the routes farmers are expected to take in Friday into Berlin where disruption will occur:

Frohnau: From the state border via B96 Berliner Straße, Roedernallee, Lindauer Allee, Residenzstraße, Markstraße, Schulstraße, Luxemburger Straße, Föhrer Straße, An der Putlitzbrücke, Stromstraße, Lessingstraße, Altonaer Straße and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Lichtenrade: From the state border via the B96 Kirchhainer Damm to Tempelhofer Damm and then via Mehringdamm, Hallesches Ufer, Reichpietschufer, Klingelhöferstraße, Hofjägerallee and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Mahlsdorf: From the state border via the B1/5 to Alexanderstraße and then via Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Unter den Linden, Wilhelmstraße, Dorotheenstraße, Scheidemannstraße, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee, Spreeweg and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Staaken: From the state border via B5 Heerstraße to Theodor-Heuss-Platz, Kaiserdamm, Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17. Juni and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni.

As we’ve already. mentioned, there will also be road closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jörg Carstensen

A large police presence was in place around the federal ministries and parliamentary buildings.

“We are taking preparatory measures before the farmers’ rally so that parliamentary work can take place smoothly on Friday,” said a spokesperson for the Berlin police on Thursday. 

During previous demonstrations, tactics – such as throwing manure and blockade attempts – have been controversial. 

On one occasion in January more than a hundred farmers blocked a ferry port as Economics Minister Robert Habeck tried to return from a holiday with his wife on the North Friesian island of Hooge.

According to media reports, some of the protestors tried to storm the ferry that the Habeck and his wife were on, preventing the Green Party politician from disembarking and forcing police to intervene. 

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