Dutch justice minister: prosecute sexual abuse indefinitely

The minister of justice has proposed upending the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of children following abuse scandals by Catholic clerics.

The statute of limitations for sexual abuse of children in the Netherlands should be suspended, justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin said on Saturday. He did so in response to the latest revelations of sexual abuse of young boys at the hands of Catholic clerics. Since NRC Handelsblad and RNW started investigating cases of sexual abuse at the hands of priests, thousands of victims have come forwards in the Netherlands.

Last week, the minister argued in parliament that criminal law should still apply even decades after the sexual abuse had taken place. The statute of limitations for sexual abuse in the Netherlands is currently 20 years after the victim turns 18.

Hirsch Ballin is not the only politician who wants to make sure the sexual abuse of minors doesn’t go unpunished. Frans Timmermans, the former deputy minister of European affairs and a Catholic himself, went on national television on Sunday to say suspects who are only now being identified should not be able to escape justice. The Catholic Church should not conduct its own inquiry, but leave this to others, Timmermans said. Finding out the truth, compensation for victims and punishing the guilty should be paramount in such an inquiry, the former minister said. He called for a “Truth Commission”, like the one introduced in South Africa after apartheid.

Hirsch Ballin’s proposal will not help in this respect. The prosecution of sexual abuse is now limited by the statute of limitations. If the minister’s proposal were written into law, it would only apply to future cases, a spokesperson for the ministry confirmed. It is not yet clear when Hirsch Ballin will introduce his proposal in parliament.

Five years ago, the government ignored an opportunity to lift the statute of limitations. When the law was being revised the statute was only revoked for crimes carrying a possible life sentence, such as murder. For serious crimes that carry a sentence of ten years or more, the statute was extended to 20 years.

At the time, sexual abuse barely played a part in parliamentary debate. mnister of justice at the time, Piet Hein Donner did raise the question whether the statute of limitations needed to be revoked in cases of severe sexual abuse, but he then claimed that it could lead to a selective prosecution of certain cases.