Following recent reports about sexual abuse of children by Dutch priests, it now appears that some nuns also took advantage of their charges. Tuesday’s edition of newspaper De Telegraaf contains the story of Herman Harends, who says he was abused by nuns at a Roman Catholic boarding school he attended in the 1950s.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide and newspaper NRC Handelsblad published their report on sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic church two weeks ago. Since then, more and people have come forward, saying they, too, were childhood victims.
Mr Harends and his two brothers attended a boarding school in the southern Dutch town of Tegelen.
"I have not spoken out before because it is a hard claim to substantiate,” he explains, “I’m not looking for atonement or apologies, most of the nuns have died.”
“The abuse by the sisters started when I was 11. When I was in the bath they played with my penis and tried to give me an erection ... They would also put my hand under their robes and into their underwear.”
Mr Harends (now 63) does not believe the abuse was an isolated case. “I had dealings with two nuns who worked independently,” he tells the paper, “I can’t imagine that I, one of the hundreds of students, was the only one they used to vent their desires on.”
Mr Harends says he once tried to talk about what happened with one of his brothers. “He didn’t want to discuss it. And I respect that.”
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
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I cannot understand how this abuse happens. This is so wrong to do to a child. I am not sure what they were thinking about here. Boating Exam
I cannot believe that something like this happens. How can you abuse a kid like this. This is so wrong to happen. whistleblower lawsuit
Sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and/or deacons has been going on since I was a child. I was also almost a victim, had it not been for my telling my Mom and her telling my Dad. My Dad took care of the whole incident. My Dad was also the local Constable and he didn't take any Crap from anyone, even a priest.
''Years 1948 to 1958 '' I have known of such disgusting things by the priest & nuns also in the small village where I was going to school & attending mass. I was just 10 years old when I started noticing that this was totally wrong....By age twelve I was hiding in the village only restaurant every time my mother sent me to church, I was too afraid to be beaten up by the priest if I was to open up my mouth, he had done it once after mass, & when I complained about it to my mother, she wouldn't believe me, it was like that back then, because the Catholic church was using there powers towards our parents by blackmailing them to throw them out of church if they as much as contradict them....
I finally got out of the devil's claws on me (Catholic church) when I got married & moved far away from home, on that day I have sworn to myself to never set foot again in church, catholic or other churches....I have remained true to myself up to today, and never did set foot again in that kind of crap...
Visit Broken Rites website in Australia to view convictions of pedophile priests (only the ones that were caught and didnt die before prosecution). This site states their names and their convictions, where the offences took place, where these priests were transferred to and where they re offended and full details of their progression through the church. The Catholic Church image of Holier than thou has been shattered, worse is their attempts to cover up these abuses which have been going on for decades, probably a lot longer, efforts in Australia to avoid paying compensation have been extraordinary. Broken Rites have ensured justice for victims of this insidious religion.
Child sexual abuse has always been perpetrated by women as well as men. But for some sad excuse, women are not as commonly reported for such. Within the past ten years it has become popular to report that women are doing such things where in fact, there has always been quite a number of female predators.
There is truly "nothing new under the sun."
DURING THE 1960's IN CHICAGO AT ST. JULIANA'S PARISH, NUNS WHIPPED US CHILDREN. ACROSS OUR FACES WITH THEIR 4 FT. LONG BELT ROPES! ONE KID WAS HUNG UP BY A NUN, SISTER VIRGANA, ON A METAL COATROOM HOOK! AT LEAST HE WAS LET DOWN BEFORE HE CHOKED TO DEATH! FROM MY SOUL, THE PEDOPHILIA WAS ONLY A SMALL PART OF WHAT WENT ON!
Child sexual abuse has always been perpetrated by women as well as men. But for some sad excuse, women are not as commonly reported for such. Within the past ten years it has become popular to report that women are doing such things where in fact, there has always been quite a number of female predators.
There is truly "nothing new under the sun."
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