Victim of abuse testifies: “I want to encourage others to report too”
With his testimony, Jan wants to encourage victims of sexual abuse in the church to come forward. “That was my ultimate goal, and I hope I have succeeded. I have already received four reports from people. You personally? Yes, they have contacted me. And I will then pass on the information to the appropriate authorities. then move on.”
The raw stories of the victims in Godforgotten have a lot of impact. Also with friends of Jan, who were not informed. “My two best friends didn’t know anything until the series came on television. One friend sent me a long message, the funny thing is that he was in my class at the college in Waregem, but he was external “What do they say? If only we had known? Yes, and why didn’t you tell me earlier. But when you are so small, and when that is over, you just move on with your life.”
Political reaction
Jan hopes that this can be a turning point for victims of sexual abuse in the church. “What do I hope for? Initially for a political response. That remains really very quiet. That would already be a good start. To warn the church. To say, beware, you will have to take steps or we review those subsidies or the like. That’s where everything starts. As long as no pressure is exerted, or only by public opinion, then I don’t think anything will change.”