Salvation Army paid compensation to victims of historic child sexual abuse

DutchNews, July 3, 2019 

Three victims of child sexual abuse were paid damages by the Salvation Army last year, according to Trouw. 

Two of the three cases reportedly involved abuse by a Salvation Army official, the paper claimed. 

The organisation reportedly told Trouw that alongside these three victims ‘there are other cases known of from the past’ who received compensation – although it would apparently not reveal the precise figure. 

These three cases were revealed when the Salvation Army asked the Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven, a semi-governmental organisation which compensates victims of violent crimes, to propose a level of compensation in 2017. 

One of the victims, Richard Bos, told Trouw that of a total of around €30,000, he received €2,500, and was ‘humiliated’ because he had approached the Salvation Army to ‘break the silence’ with his sister, reportedly another victim. 

A spokesman for the Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven confirmed to DutchNews.nl that it had proposed compensation from the Salvation Army for three Dutch victims, although he could not reveal any details about the victims or the abuse. 

In a statement online, the Salvation Army confirmed that it had asked the fund to propose compensation, and admitted that the abuse took place in the 1970s. ‘In the past, we did not listen properly or look for proper solutions such as immediately stopping abuse, offering proper guidance or treatment to victims and regularly discussing conditions for social (and physical) safety,’ it said in the statement. 

It stressed that it has ‘extensive protocols’ in place now to prevent abuse.