A further developed procedure for the recognition of suffering for victims of sexual abuse starts at the turn of the year
Independent commission starts work
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On January 1, 2021, the new rules for the process of recognizing suffering for victims of sexual abuse in the church context will come into force. The Permanent Council of the German Bishops’ Conference adopted the new rules of procedure on November 24, 2020. The starting point was the study “Sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests, deacons and male religious in the area of the German Bishops’ Conference” published in autumn 2018 (MHG study). The new rules of procedure replace the previous procedure for material recognition of suffering that has been practiced since 2011. With the start of the new rules of procedure, the corresponding application forms are initially available on the website of the German Bishops’ Conference.
The decision on the level of benefits will in future be made by the Independent Commission for Recognition Achievement (UKA). The seven members act independently of instructions and are not employees of the Catholic Church. UKA’s experts come from the fields of law, medicine and psychology. They were chosen for their task by the chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Dr. Georg Bätzing, and have already met for their first meeting. The UKA consists of the following members:
- Dr. Brigitte Bosse, medical psychotherapist; Head of the Trauma Institute Mainz;
- Prof. Dr. Ernst Hauck, presiding judge at the Federal Social Court a. D .;
- Michaela Huber, psychological psychotherapist; 1. Chairwoman of the German Society for Trauma and Dissociation;
- Peter Lehndorfer, child and adolescent psychotherapist; Vice President of the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists until 2019;
- Dr. Muna Nabhan, legal psychologist;
- Margarete Reske, presiding judge at the Cologne Higher Regional Court a. D .;
- Ulrich Weber, lawyer.
The UKA is supported in its work by its own office. The contact person is Sylke Schruff. It will be available from January 7, 2021 at the postal address of the Independent Commission for Recognition Services, PO Box 2962, 53019 Bonn, Tel .: 0228 / 103–121, E-Mail: info(at)recognition church.de reachable. In the coming weeks the office will also have its own independent website.
background
The new procedure for recognizing suffering is divided into five steps:
- People who have experienced sexual abuse as minors or adults under protection should turn to the independent contact persons of a (arch) diocese.
- The independent contact persons conduct an interview and can help you fill out the application form.
- The application is forwarded to the UKA by the contact person or the diocese.
- The UKA sets a level of benefits and directs the payment to those affected.
- The UKA office informs the person concerned and the responsible diocese and pays out the specified amount directly.
Hints:
The new rules of procedure and further information can be found on the sexual abuse topic.
The forms for the new procedure will also be available there from January 1, 2021.
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