3/4/2021 3:06 PM
Honourable members of the Committee on Justice and Security,
Now that the WODC has thrown in the towel and says it cannot conduct scientific research into organized pedosexual abuse[i]We - a group of 20 mental health professionals - propose that the Ministry of Justice and Security should NOT remain the commissioner of this investigation, but that another ministry should take over. If the Ministry of Justice continues to play a role in this, we have no confidence that a truly independent investigation committee will be formed that produces results. In addition, even if another Ministry were to be the commissioning party, maximum safeguards of independence are essential in all kinds of ways. We will substantiate this view in the remainder of this letter.
Why the Justice Department should not have any say in this investigation
- As we indicated in an earlier letter (see annex), many victims do not trust the courts and the police for good reason. They often have bad experiences with reports or attempts at legal proceedings. For this, see the collection of experience stories that Caleidoscoop, interest group for clients, sent you earlier. This reason alone should be sufficient to not leave (the assignment of) the investigation in the hands of the Justice department or an organization affiliated to the Justice department.
- But there is more. Over the past decades, victims have repeatedly testified about the involvement of (very) high-ranking officials. This is also mentioned in the investigation of Argos. There is a lot to be found on the Internet, which certainly cannot all be dismissed as cheap gossip. Also about people who are or were in high or very high positions at the Justice department. Anyone who immerses himself for a few hours in e.g. the rolodex-investigation, the judicial process around Vincent Leenders, all attempts for lawsuits around former top official at Justice Joris Demmink, the Baybasin case, can in my opinion not only conclude that it is not only about smoke, but that there is certainly also fire. Listen to what people like Adéle van der Plas (lawyer) and Yvonne Keuls (writer and formerly involved with boys' home) have to say about this kind of cases, what a.o. Ton Derksen writes about the Baybasin case. Google the Zembla broadcasts of the Dutroux case with the Belgian neighbors. In the latter case there were clear traces of a sadistic pedonetwork, but it seems that due to a change of examining magistrates from above, the cover-up followed. Our collective national memory is of poor quality and therefore these cases are rarely added up. But that is exactly what we should do. Here there seems to be decades of corruption right up to the highest echelons and of the worst kind, namely at the expense of the most vulnerable thing there is: our children.
I hear you say, 'Prove it. That is precisely where the big problem lies. Legal proceedings seem to be sabotaged, not only in the '80s or '90s, but also now. We know the girl Lisa from the shows of Argos[ii]who reported the rape by a group of high-ranking people in a forest, during which a baby was supposedly born, murdered and buried. Joris Demmink is also mentioned in this case. [iii] The public prosecutor dismissed the case. Also the article -12 procedure was cancelled, without hearing Lisa or the suspects. Mr. Wabeke, the judge who made the decision, was named as a suspect together with Mr. Demmink in an earlier alleged abuse case. To the radio program he would have said that he did not know Mr. Demmink (AD, 16 Feb. 2019). However, Argos was provided with a photo in which both men can be seen together in a domestic setting. Professor of criminal law Theo de Roos says: "The way things went here, it is very unsatisfactory. You could say it was super bad. That is of course not acceptable at all. That you dismiss it like that." This cries out for further investigation.
In our democracy we have the separation of powers. When one of the three, the judiciary, so patently fails to do justice to molested and sadistically abused children, what option is left? You go into politics. This is what Lisa's mother did. She wrote a letter to Prime Minister Rutte. The Prime Minister gave no response but handed the letter over to the Ministry of Justice who forwarded it to the Board of Procurators General who reiterated in writing that the judicial process had been stopped. How you can be the leader of a country and not do everything in your power to have such a horrible injustice brought to justice is a mystery to us.
What is needed for truly independent research?
This national investigation into ritual abuse finally offers a chance to get to the bottom of whether and how big the network of sadistic child abuse is. This is also an opportunity to get clear if there is involvement of high-ranking people and if so, how big it is. The rejection by the WODC (4 months needed for a 1-line argument) makes it even more clear that the Justice Department does not want this research. It is up to you as representatives of the people to stand up for a truly independent investigation. And that requires quite a lot. If there is a network of sadistic pedosexuals of which high ranked people are a part, then we are dealing with people on high levels in all kinds of positions who torture and rape children in the most cruel sadistic way. You can read for example on the website www.lichtopsrm.com based on testimony as to the horrors being played out on these children, while the perpetrators stand around laughing. These perpetrators have their victims in a stranglehold with photos and videos of atrocious crimes. Esther - about whom you can read on the website mentioned, fictitious name - who left the network, still has to deal daily with this kind of blackmail and other threats.
It is highly likely that this blackmail method is also used between perpetrators and that it is therefore vitally important to protect each other. This must be taken into account when setting up an investigation committee.
We think that at least the following is necessary. Incidentally, all these things also apply to the investigation into the LEBZ, about which absolutely nothing has been heard yet:
- The investigation should be taken completely out of the hands of the Justice Department.
- The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is also unable to carry out this research. Already in 2012, the Samson commission demonstrated that since 1945 (!) there has been very serious sexual abuse of minors within the youth care institutions and foster families'.[iv]. We have no reason to believe that much has changed since 2012. This also makes the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport an unreliable partner for this study.
- The ministry that composes the research committee or chooses the research bureau should involve the Transgenerational Violence Knowledge Centre from the beginning.
- Victims must be involved and have a real voice in the choice of Investigation Bureau and Investigation Committee members.
- Highly secure communication lines and good opportunities to meet in safe places, so that victims who dare to talk are less likely to suffer reprisals from the network.
- Maximum transparency: the Research Committee reports directly to the House of Representatives and not first to the Ministry. This reduces the likelihood of research results being influenced (as was previously the case with the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC), see appendix).
- Victims and therapists of victims (both children and adults) should be heard.
- An anonymous tip line (secure etc.) for regretful offenders on the offender side, could be a valuable addition.
The first step is now to transfer the implementation of this motion to another Ministry, not being the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, with the greatest of urgency. We realise that this is an unusual state of affairs, but in view of all the above there is more than enough reason to colour outside the ordinary lines for the benefit of molested children. We count on you as representatives of the people to, perhaps in cooperation with the movers of the motion, get this done.
Of course, we are always willing to explain our letter in more detail or help you think things through.
Kind regards,
A.S. Terpstra-van Hijum (contact person)
GZ-psychologist BIG
Anonymous
Anonymous
Mrs. H. Vrooland-Bosch,
SKJ Youth and family expert
Mrs A.F. Denekamp-van Toor
occupational therapist
BCZ registered therapist
Ms C. Hamoen,
psychologist
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Ms. Dr. C. Linker,
GZ-psychologist BIG
Anonymous
Ms Msc. A. Luesink,
GZ-psychologist BIG
Ms H. Mateboer-Selles
GZ-psychologist BIG
Ms. D. Mazzolari,
GZ-psychologist BIG
Mrs. T.A. van Neerbos,
(child and adolescent) psychiatrist BIG
Anonymous
Mrs C. van Voornveld-de Pender,
GZ-psychologist BIG
Mr. J. Vreugdenhil.
GZ-psychologist-psychotherapist
Mrs. M. Wielart
Psychologist in formation to psychotherapist
Mr. Dr. R. Filius,
GZ-psychologist-psychotherapist