Victim’s fund

The call by attorney Geert Hatzmann for the establishment of a victim’s fund is a just one and one may well wonder why this call to action has to come from an attorney while successive governments and all Members of Parliament have been quiet on this issue for the past six years.

The money to support victims is there. The minister of justice has a crime fund at his disposal that is funded with assets seized from criminals. While we do not know how much money there is in this fund at the moment, as far as we know the minister is free to dispose of it as he sees fit.

Crime fighting efforts are strengthened when the authorities gain the trust of the population. Swift and proper compensation for crime-victims will certainly contribute in a meaningful way to this objective.