THE HAGUE – The head of a Dutch commission asked by the Catholic Church to look into allegations of sexual abuse said yesterday a year-long investigation was needed, and appealed for offenders to come forward.
Wim Deetman, tasked to inquire into reports of sexual abuse by priests, said an independent inquiry should assess the scale and nature of the alleged abuse over the last 65 years.
In March, the Dutch church asked Mr Deetman to lead the preliminary inquiry in response to an increasing number of victims coming forward. The number of calls to a Dutch hotline for victims of abuse has risen to 1,500 since early March. – (Reuters)