The 26th of January 2024 is a date not to be forgotten! Just a few weeks after the success at European Union (EU) level, culminating in the delivery of more than half a million signatures in support of the Justice Initiative petition, the Council of Europe, to which 46 states with over 600 million citizens belong, voted in favor of dealing with past cases of abuse along the lines of Switzerland. Accordingly, the suffering of survivors of child abuse should be officially recognized in the member states, those affected should receive a reparation payment – regardless of any statute of limitations – and a scientific investigation should take place in the respective countries.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calls on all member States to take stock of the situation of violence committed in public, private, or religious institutions against children to create the right conditions for victims to speak out. The ground-breaking recommendations of the Council of Europe correspond to the demands of the European “Justice Initiative”, which was launched by the Swiss Guido Fluri Foundation.
Immediately after the vote – the report on the motion was unanimously accepted, as were the recommendations to the States – a Justice Initiative press conference was held in Strasbourg in the building housing the Council of Europe. In addition to the motion’s rapporteur Pierre-Alain Fridez and Guido Fluri, it was attended by the chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, Simon MOUTQUIN (Belgium), the Swiss ambassador to the Council of Europe Claude Wild and four survivors.
“Those who ignore the abuse cases of the past cannot effectively combat the abuse cases of today and tomorrow,” says the Swiss rapporteur Pierre-Alain Fridez. «In Europe, we must never again turn a blind eye to the abuse of children, whether they have been victims of sexual predators, gratuitous violence or ill-treatment in public, private or religious institutions that are supposed to be safe havens ».
“The fact that the Council of Europe has decided on a comprehensive reappraisal is a great moment for survivors from all over Europe! The European community must do everything it can to ensure that those affected by child abuse receive some form of justice while they are still alive,” says initiator Guido Fluri.
The Council of Europe’s decision is an important signal for survivors of abuse from all over Europe. António Grosso, a 71-year-old survivor from Portugal says: “This current silence is unacceptable and unworthy of a democracy like Portugal. If Portugal recognizes this injustice, as the Council of Europe demands, then we are on the right track.”
“Today, 26 January 2024, I am here on a very important date, which gives us recognition and visibility. An advanced society, in the twenty-first century, cannot continue to hide its crimes and neglect the care of its children”, emphasizes Francisco Javier, a 49-year-old Spanish victim. “All forms of sexual violence leave indelible scars. Survivors should receive more justice.”
To the press release: Press Release (EN)
To all articles and reports published in the media: Press Center
