Radio Netherlands Worldwide journalist Robert Chesal and his colleague Joep Dohmen from newspaper NRC Handelsblad have jointly won 'De Loep' (The Magnifying Glass), a prestigious annual prize for investigative journalism in the Netherlands and Flanders.

The two journalists were awarded the prize for their series of reports on child sex abuse at Catholic boarding schools in the Netherlands.

The close collaboration between Mr Chesal and Mr Dohmen was instrumental in bringing to light a large number of facts about child sex abuse in the Dutch Roman Catholic Church. The two investigative journalists were able to track down victims and other persons involved who often told highly personal and moving stories about child sex abuse at Dutch Catholic boarding schools.

Included in Mr Chesal’s research are the activities of Dutch priests in ‘missionary countries’ and former Dutch colonies. RNW’s Editor-in-Chief Rik Rensen said the jury "made the right decision".
 

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