Various former participants of the TV program Trace -free get compensation from Omroep KRO-NCRV. Among them is the Assense Barbara Quee. She was brought into contact with the wrong family, while she was told that it was her biological family. This week, the broadcaster reached a settlement with five victims, ending a dragging and emotional legal battle.
The reason for the compensation was errors that came to light at the beginning of 2022, when it turned out that a Colombian intermediary had provided incorrect information several times. As a result, those involved were linked to families who ultimately turned out to have nothing to do with them. Quee discovered years later that her so -called mother was not her real biological mother.
For years the Assense tried to get clarity about her origins. She initially ignored her doubts about the mother found. “You assume that a program like Trace -free Know what it is doing, “she told RTV Drenthe earlier. But through girlfriend Fiona Teggatz, who has experience with searches in Colombia, there were more and more indications that the story was incorrect. After his own investigation, the match turned out to be incorrect.
Quee joined other victims and went to court. In March of this year, a witness hearing took place in Utrecht, in which presenter Derk Bolt, among others, was heard. The pressure on KRO-NCRV increased and eventually it came to a settlement. How high the compensation is remains unclear. “We have had constructive conversations with the broadcaster,” says Quee. “This is a good ending.”
Quee’s personal search led to more than just clarity about her own origin. Together with Teggatz, she aimed the foundation Buscas TU Familia and Colombia On, intended to help other Colombian adopted children in their search for organic family. “Spoorloos was the only path for years,” Quee said earlier, “but the need to search outside the cameras is great.”
The foundation appears to meet a need. Teggatz, also looking for her mother, has built up a large network in Colombia. Thanks to their research, several biological parents have already been found. “It is important that the whole picture is correct,” Quee emphasized. “And that often starts with a DNA test. You can’t trust assumptions.”
Quee says it feels good that recognition has come from the broadcaster. “It is a good ending to a painful, emotionally difficult period.”