She is coordinator of the Dignity Foundation, an organization founded by the Belgian bishops and religious superiors to support and financially compensate victims of sexual abuse within the Church.
According to Soors, we also need to look to the future, so that the Church can focus on dialogue with victims, prevention, training and zero tolerance for sexual violence.
Two rooms
In concrete terms, two specific chambers are being established within the Commission for Financial Assistance to Victims of Violence for victims of sexual abuse. These chambers, one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking, focus specifically on the financial needs of victims of time-barred offences. It will include experts who have experience in dealing with victims of sexual abuse. They will decide who gets support and how much.
Financing
The fund’s victim fund is partly funded by people who are convicted of criminal offenses, “to a criminal or correctional main sentence”. For example, the judge can order them to pay a contribution of 25 euros to the fund. Another part of the funding will come from the Church. So far, the Catholic Church in Belgium has already paid nine million euros to victims.
Church welcomes proposal
“Every time I meet survivors of sexual abuse in the Church, their testimonies are a punch in the stomach,” said Archbishop Luc Terlinden, who was also present at the meeting. “The Church must continue to stand up for the victims without hesitation and fully and to combat all abuse with all possible means.” The Church says it welcomes the minister’s proposal for a legal framework because the institution “should never be the judge or party in the financial compensation of the victims.”
Expertise center
The Institute for the Equality of Women and Men (IGVM) will also establish a center of expertise for victims of sexual violence. “Today, the IGVM is already taking on the coordinating role of the Care Centers after Sexual Violence, within which the options for care for non-acute sexual violence will be investigated,” Minister Verlinden explains.
