SWITZERLAND
swissinfo
Victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic Church representatives in Switzerland can now access a special fund to claim compensation. The idea was first launched a year ago by the Swiss Bishops Conference.
At the moment, the newly created fund contains CHF500,000 ($495,500) to compensate abuse victims, who may receive a single payment of up to CHF10,000 ($9,966) according to last year’s plan for the fund.
Bishop Charles Morerod, the head of the Swiss Bishops Conference, said on Monday that the fund “only covers prescribed cases” while recalling the “particularly difficult” situation of abuse victims whose cases “were not heard or addressed for a long time by the Church’s authorities”.
Contributors to the new fund include the Swiss dioceses, the Union of Religious Superiors in Switzerland as well as ecclesiastical corporations. An independent commission has been set up to decide on the amount each victim should receive in compensation.
In Swiss-German regions of Switzerland, unlike the French-speaking part, sexual abuse commissions have existed in dioceses for several years and supported victims. But this is the first compensation fund that has been established.
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