Dutch church victims to get payouts based on level of abuse suffered

A group set up to help victims of paedophile priests in the Netherlands has defended a scheme that calculates compensation according to the level of abuse suffered, saying the amounts awarded will be far higher than if individuals were to pursue cases through the courts. Hulp Recht, which has strong links with the Roman Catholic church, devised the system to offer speedy settlements without people having to resort to costly and lengthy legal procedures. Bishops have agreed to the tariff and the settlements are funded by the church. The scheme, which offers €25,000 (£21,400) for single or multiple acts of rape and €100,000 for “excessive sexual abuse”, has angered some of the hundreds of people affected by the scandal. Jan Brenninkmeijer, from Hulp Recht, said: “You can get compensation through the courts, but most of the cases are against people who have died or the abuse happened a long time ago. “So what we tried to do is work out what someone would get if they went to court. We’ve had negative reactions from victims who say money is not enough, but money will never be enough. “But when you compare our system with the US one, where there is a claim culture, we don’t have this habit. What would a judge say? We are looking at these cases as normal abuse, not church abuse. What compensation would a judge give to someone who had been abused by a teacher? It would be rare for a judge to award this level of compensation.” Earlier this week, an independent commission, which looked at physical and sexual abuse cases as far back as 1945, said financial assistance was not enough and that the church must provide practical support as well. Brenninkmeijer said about 2,000 people had come forward saying they were victims… (Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk …