Commission meets Church sex abuse victims

The commission that looked into the Catholic child sex abuse scandal has met a number of victims at a gathering in Utrecht.

The meeting comes a day after the commission, led by former Education Minister Wim Deetman, issued its final report. At the meeting, victims were given an opportunity to ask the commission questions and meet a number of experts, including specialist advisers for abuse victims. The meeting concluded the commission’s tasks and the commission disbanded after that.

The Deetman commission received 1,795 reports of Church child sex abuse cases at Catholic schools, seminaries and orphanages. Given the suspicion that many victims did not come forward, the report estimates that the total number of victims ranges between 10,000 and 20,000. The commission has been able to identify the names of some 800 offenders, of whom 105 are still alive.

The report concludes that both the Catholic Church and religious orders knew that children were being sexually abused at its institutions. It also notes that the Catholic authorities failed to act adequately and failed to give sufficient attention to the victims.