First Damages for Church Sex Abuse Victims

Expatica
April 7, 2012

http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/dutch-news/first-damages-for-church-sex-abuse-victims_219989.html

The first Dutch victims of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church are to receive compensation payments within the next six weeks.

The commission charged with assessing the abuse cases has so far ruled that ten victims should receive financial compensation. In these first ten cases, the diocese or order concerned has been ordered to pay damages of between 5,000 and 20,000 euros, the compensation commission announced on Friday.

In the coming months, it is expected that compensation of up to 100,000 euros will be awarded in certain exceptional cases. To arrive at a ruling, in many cases the commission says it requires additional information from the claimant about the material damage they have suffered.

The compensation commission, which was appointed last year, currently has 86 cases to consider. Up to now the commission has been holding two sittings a week. From April onwards the number of sittings has been increased three a week, so the commission will be able to handle twelve cases a week instead of eight.