brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. she pimped out her seven-year-old son out to pedophiles online. a child-abuse case stuns germany and reveals the dangers of the darknet. the mother and her partner both sexually abused the boy and made him available for sex to other men online. today a court sentenced both child abusers to prison. tonight we ask what must be done to prevent a repeat of these horrific crimes. also coming up, trump and

rouhani face off over economic sanctions. trump tweeting, do business with iran and you will not be doing business with the u.s. while the iranian leader is calling those sanctions psychological warfare. and colombia's capital sets the stage for the inauguration of the newly elected president, a new white-leaning chief of state. he takes over the still-unfinished peace process. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. we begin tonight with a horrific crime. a boy forced into prostitution, sold on the darknet. the seller, his mother. here in germany, a court today found a couple guilty in a child abuse trial that shocked the nation. for years, the couple sexually assaulted the woman's young son

and made him available to pedophiles on the darknet in exchange for money. the court today sentenced the victim's mother to 12.5 years in prison and her partner to 12 years. reporter: this woman and her partner made her son suffer unbelievable atrocities. rape, severe sexual abuse, forced prostitution, all at the age of seven. for that, they will spend years behind bars. >> she will be getting a little more prison time than he will. this is simply due to the fact that he provided us with comprehensive information. the court took account of that, and the severity of the mother's actions, of course. reporter: staufen, in southwestern germany, is where the man and woman offered customers on the darknet the chance to rape her son. at least six men traveled from germany, switzerland and spain

to take advantage of that offer. the boy is now 10 and says he is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. he lives with a foster family. >> o one positive is that his torture is over and he can seek closure. he will live permanently where he is now. but a possible negative is that we have to tell him that all contact with his mother is broken off. reporter: this case also raises questions about the local youth welfare office, family court, and police. they may have failed to pass on information that could have helped the boy earlier. brent: the story, tragic on so many sides. i am joined tonight by the psychologist and director of the berlin-based child protection ngo innocence in danger. it's good to have you with us. julia von weiler. julia, we were talking earlier

about what happens to children in these situations. this young boy, we understand he is now about 10 years old. will he ever recover from this? can we talk about him one day having a normal life? julia: sure he can, but his life will never be as it could have been if that did not happen. so, child sexual abuse changes the future of a child. but they call themselves survivors because they are strong and they did survive. he did survive the worst of it already. the torture, the selling, the prostitution. the fact that his mother does not protect him. brent: his mother was also one of the rapists. julia: exactly. she was a perpetrator, and she was a sadistic perpetrator. so actually today she did him a favor, in a way, because she accepted the sentence right away in court, and she said i want to give him a sign. and one of the signs that

children need is that the offender takes responsibility, which they rarely do. usually they sort of cry about themselves. brent: is the 10-year-old looking for a sign from his mother, despite the fact that she is also a perpetrator? julia: sure he is. he still loves his mom, he probably still misses her. children told me, you know, everything will be fine if he or she would just stop doing that. you know, i love my dad, i love my mom, i do not want to be separated from them. so we need to be aware -- brent: well, he hinted at abuse, right? julia: yeah. brent: did people did not recognize the signs. what happened? do we know? julia: i think people do not want to know. as a teacher, as a neighbor, as whoever, i do not want to be aware that child sexual abuse happens right in my neighborhood. not on my watch, not in my street, not in my building, not in my school. it is always somewhere else. but it is not. it is right next to us.

so we need to be aware that it does happen amongst us, that we know victims, and that that is what makes it so difficult. we know offenders. if we know victims, we know offenders. brent: you said we know offenders. there are countries, societies around the world, where sexual offenders are put on lists and it is made public. that is not necessarily the case here in germany. do you think though that the innocent are as protected as they should be in this country? julia: no they are not, but they are not as protected as they should be in those countries where defenders are put online. -- the offenders are put online. because we need to be aware that in those cases, we are only talking about sentenced offenders. and we know that only a fraction, a tiny fraction of offenders is ever put on trial. so, you know, you have all these others still around. so if everybody focuses on the one who was put online -- i, as

an offender, have really easy access to children. brent: what about the darknet? and child pornography. we understand there were videos made of this boy being raped. they are out there, we assume. none of this would have been possible in this severity had there been no darknet. julia: right. the internet really changed the dynamics of child sexual abuse. we have child sexual abuse images being traded now. we have something like livestream child sexual abuse, where i sit in front of a computer and direct what is going on somewhere else in the world. and we need to be aware that the spreading of these images really, really affects survivors. and we were part of an international study conducted with survivors of these crimes. and these survivors tell us, you need to be aware that these images out there hurt us in a very bad way.

you need to be aware that we need your help and that society needs to change laws, also. brent: who needs to shut down these livestreams and these sources of pornography? who do you think is responsible for taking these images down? julia: i think that law enforcement is responsible. i think that governments are responsible. brent: but it is proliferating, though. julia: i know, it is. but today, these industries can do so many things. and i know for e example one of the giants, google, is doing great stuff when it comes to trying to detect child sexual abuse images. but i do believe google could do so much more. and i do believe if governments would sort of work together and really confront the issue, we could make a difference. and one of the differences is that all governments could make would be to put law enforcement

in the right spot to be able to do their work, which means more manpower and better technology. brent: julia von weiler, as i said earlier, you are doing an angel's work protecting children. with the child protection ngo innocence in danger, based here in berlin. julia, thank you. weeks of drought. germany has created prime conditions for a brush fire that burned numerous homes and injured at least 28 people in the west of the country. hundreds of firefighters were deployed to put out the blaze, which broke out next to a key rail line between cologne and frankfurt. it quickly spread into a residential neighborhood. we have this report. reporter: dry undergrowth burning like tinder. what began as a small fire soon developed into a major blaze. at least eight houses caught fire. some were engulfed by the flames.

emergency services evacuated an entire residential area with hundreds of residents affected. dozens were injured. >> most of them were suffering from shock due to what is happened. the fires in their homes and gardens. many were treated for circulator he problems. a few people suffered burns, some severe. they had to be brought to local hospitals. reporter: the cause of the fire has not yet undetermined. authorities initially assumed a spark from a passing train heading to drive education. -- dry vegetation. they later said other cauauses e under consideration. the important high-speed rail link is still out of service. officicials say it is s uncleaen it will be reopened. brenent: for more on the story'm joined by our correspondent in net town. good evening to you. what is the situation there right now?

daniel: let me tell you that t e entire neighboborhood here is still very much under shock. just a few minutes ago we saw people that were living here in the street coming back to the houses, taking a look at the houses.. you can see it in the background. firefighters here are still working on what started herere this afternoon at about 3:00 p.m. a firefighter was telling me in his career in the last 25 years, he has never seen something like that. the good news we also just heard from the p police, thahat just e person still remains in the hospital at the moment. about 100 people here from this neighborhood were evacuated. they are staying tonightht with friends. some are staying here in the local elementatary school. it is still not clear if they will ever be able to return to ththeir house. brent: it is a tererrible

sisituation. we said earlier that these drought conditions conontributed to becauause, possibly. have authorities determined the exact cause e of this fire? daniel: they have not determined the exact cause, but you heard in the report there is speculation that a spark was hitting this embankment very close to the houses. right behind the houses there is a high-speed railway street between cologne and frankfurt. so thahat is one speculation. on the other hand we heard firefighters earlier sing the was the possibility -- saying there was the possibility that some people might have been smoking there. this could be another reason as well. we are hearing that tomorrow throughout the day there will be a press confnference taking plp. besidess firefighters, we have also seen speciaial memembers fm the police who are already at this moment trying t to find out

what really happened. brent: all right, daniel koop tonight, thank you. here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world. turkish president recep tayyip erdogan is to make a two day state visit to g germany at thte end of s septeer. you will meet angela merkel -- he will meet with angela merkel after being received with military honors. people in the kenyan capital nairobi have been marking 20 years since the first major international attack by al qaeda jihadists. 258 people were killed when militants carried out near-simultaneous truck bombing attacks on u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. u.s. presidentnt donald trump hs warned other countries and companies against trading with iran.

his message comes after he reimposed many of the sanctions that were in effect before the 2015 nuclear deal with iran. in a tweet today, trump labeled the renewed sanctions as the most biting ever imposed, and he warned anyone doing business with iran will not be doing business in the united states. typical tough talk coming from trump. joining me is cornelius from the german council on foreign relations. this is not putting germany or europe in an easy position right now. is this an ultimatum? either you do business with iran or what he deserves -- or do business with the u.s.? cornelius: the first one came in january and was also formulated as an ultimatum. this is kind of the condition that everyone has known for years that when you ascension's hit, you have a choice -- when u.s. sanctions hit, you have a choice.

major you were p and companies have heard this call. they have -- major european companies have heard this call. today daimler announced they would do the same. for big companies there's not much of a choice. if there is business to do in the u.s., they will do that. brent: you mentioned daimler abandoning its iran plans over u.s. sanctions. how united would you say europe is or is not when it comes to confronting these american sanctions? cornelius: politically europe is united. you can see that from a statement yesterday from the eu foreign-policy, the three foreign ministers of france, germany and the u.k. they all said they oppose and reject the u.s. decision towards iran. politically there is unity on this front. the question is what is it the europeans can actually do. the regulation which went into

effect a day certainly not helping major companies, but it could do help for small to medium-sized companies. once that want to do business in iran and do not have a share in the u.s. market. brent: at the end of the day when europe wants to do along with russia and china, is to preserve this nuclear agreement. now, does europe have the clout as well as the capital to do that in the face of american opposition? cornelius: we will see. so far europe is standing its ground, and that is a welcome move. europe has been shepherding the negotiations until the successful conclusion in 2015. brent: that's an unprecedented place to be, though. cornelius: the statute we are talking about dates back to the late 1990's where for the first time europe was standing up to the u.s. when it came to sanctions, but that was a different time in a different president.

so it is particularly painful right now, but at least there is unity on the european front, and that is the intention to go down this course, to preserve as much as one can. brent: when you look at the situation from the position of europepe, you looking at the united states suddenly as an adversary. is there a movement among policymakers across europe to come up with a common approach to dealing with the u.s. as an adversary long-term? i mean, post-trump? cornelius: the u.s. is still an ally. there are just differences over this policy and other policies, too. i am not denigrating this. but all european countries see the u.s. as an online -- an ally , even if it's a difficult ally. trying to find common ground on climate policy, russia. the europeans are trying to find

this coming ground -- common ground so the u.s., it goes beyond the u.s. president. there is a congress, federal states to deal with. trying to find policies in ways into the u.s. is important for europeans. brent: cornelius with the german council on foreign relations. i appreciate your insights tonight. thank you. cornelius: thank you for having me. brent: ben is here now. he has more on how the sanctions will affect business. this is a story with long legs, just like yours. ben: there was lots of jumping up and down here in germany. jubilation. it was almost a gold rush feeling back then two years ago with a new front opening to investors. except it takes time to make returns on most. reporter: he has spent the last

two years trying to build up trade ties with iran. his family-owned company produces measuring devices which can be used to detect weeks -- leaks in water and gas pipelines. 3 million people depend on their exports, including to iran. it is something he d does not wt to give up. he would like to continue trading with all the u.s. and iran -- with both the u.s. and iran. >> we are worried our ability to do business s with the u.s. will be resestricted. that could meaean fines or endig up on a blacklist so that we will not be able to export anything there. reporter: many german companies have invested heavily in iran. they had high hopes, like here at the chamber of industry and commerce in tehran. all of a sudden that has come to an end. >> after three years it was time for companies to begin earning prprofits. once business really began to flourish.

but now the sanctions have come into force again. reporter: big german corporations are among those affected, such as volkswagen. orders for vans, ambulances and taxis are full. but they are holding up a new investments. and i'm announced tuesday it was putting its expansion plans for iran on hold. ben: for more on that let's talk to sophie scimansky on wall street. how much further string will this be on transatlantic ties in your opinion? sophie: i would say a lot at the moment. other countries all face tough decisions now on whether to continue trading with iran and risk u.s. penalties or fall in line with the trump administration before sanctions on oil are due to take effect in six months. the white house's policy has faced a lot of resistance from

europe. they all want to preserve the iran deal, even without the u.s. so now the eu is trying to get exemptions for domestic companies, and it is not clear yet if the white house is going to agree. the u.s. treasury said in a statement that the state department would evaluate and make determinations with respect to significant reduction exemptions. but companies seeking such exemptions were advised to -- purchases from iran during the 180 day wind down period. critics are now saying trump is escalating the situation for basically every country involved. ben: would you say it is clear what the u.s. government's ultimate goal in sanctioning iran is? sophie: i think that is hard to say. clearly washington is intensifying the pressure on iran.

let's see what the national security adviser had to say. john bolton said the administration's approach to iran and north korea was the same. maximum pressure on both governments to give up their pursuit of deliverable nuclear weapons. but a willingness to talk to see if the leaders are going to find a way out. a tiny effect with big impact would be a rise in oil prices. maybe american oil producers would benefefit. but all in all, this is part of trump's way with negotiation with other countries, trump being the elephant in the china shop of international diplomacy. ben: sophie scimansky, thank you for your analysis. just because an automaker produces big cars no longer means it is making big bucks. that is the finding of a new

study at the university of do support. it shows ferrari is the leader per car sold. it made 69,000 euros on every single vehicle sold in the first half of 2018. that is pretty amazing. tesla on the other hand loses an average of 11,000 euros per vehicle. they are still burning through cash, even with seriously ambitious projects ahead of it. german carmakers like mercedes make around 3000 euros on every car sold. at the end of the day it not just about profit per vehicle, it is also about the number of cars sold. vw is in pole position, still. they are still trying to clear the air. brent: you cannot get any dirtier. cornelius: i will have -- ben: i will have a lot more business later on today with

you. brent: colombia's new president is being and not rated at this hour. he -- his peace deal has divided the country. at 42, he is the lung -- youngest colombian chief of state ever elected. we are looking at live pictures of the swearing-in ceremony in the capital bogota. it is taking place under heightened security after an alleged drone attack against president nicolas maduro over the weekend. let's take a look at him and the challenges he will face as colombia's new leader. reporter: he is their great hope. ivan, the new colombian president. many him the right wing think he is the man to take the country forward. and his message is a positive one. >> this election is the

opportunity we had been waiting for. but in order to turn over the page of polarization, the page of grievances, and a page of manners. i see no enemies in colombia. i won't rule with hate. i won't uphold hate, nor will i hate a single colombian. reporter: the 42-year-old former senator has promised to revisit the peace agreement with farc rebels. he has criticized aspects of the deal agreed by his predecessor to bring the long-running conflict to an end. >> we don't want to destroy the deal. but we want to make it clear that the colombia in the -- of t

he free is the kind of colombia where peace meets justice. there will be truth, there will be restitution. sentences will l be served anand victims compensated and appeased. reporter: duque will be the youngest president in the history of modern colombia, backed by a strong power base in congress, where his party rules, as it does in the senate. that is where he has the support of his mentor, the ex-president, a a fierce critic of the farc peace deal. duque campaignened o on fighting corruption and lowering business taxes. he is also backed by church groups. >> our vision of free enterprise the opposite of the state seizing a assets, class hatred d legal uncertainty deterermined y the whim of a ruler. we already know what d damage tt has caused in other countries. investors should have clarity insecurity. my aim is for them to come to

this country and their investments to improve the living conditions of colombians. reporter: for many colombians, duque represents a new generation. promising to shake up old style politics with its patronage and corruption. but some worry that in doing so, he might also threaten colombia's hard won peace process. brent: you're watching "dw news." after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day. stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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