North Rhine-Westphalia: No compensation for victims in NRW in the Lügde case

Münster/Lügde (dpa/lnw) - Almost three years after the verdict in the Lügde abuse complex, the victims and parents living in North Rhine-Westphalia have not yet received any compensation payments.

North Rhine-Westphalia: No compensation for victims in NRW in the Lügde case

Münster/Lügde (dpa/lnw) - Almost three years after the verdict in the Lügde abuse complex, the victims and parents living in North Rhine-Westphalia have not yet received any compensation payments. According to the current status, the first decisions on this can be expected in autumn, said a spokesman for the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL) on Tuesday. In a good third of the 30 cases, it still fails due to feedback from the applicants that the other cases are still in the "administrative and medical clarification of the facts". The "Westfalen-Blatt" and the NDR had previously reported.

In Lügde (Lippe district) on the border with Lower Saxony, children had been victims of the most severe sexual violence for years. In 2019, the Detmold district court sentenced several perpetrators to lengthy prison terms followed by preventive detention.

According to LWL, victims and, under certain conditions, parents are entitled to compensation. The applications must therefore be examined on a case-by-case basis. The LWL also uses investigation files. However, these did not focus on the victims, so information had to be researched on a small and time-consuming basis, it said.

In a good third of the cases, communication and cooperation with the applicants is also extremely challenging. For those affected, it is a sensitive, shameful and often upsetting topic. Unfortunately, the Victim Compensation Act (OEG) not only requires proof of the act of violence, but also of the damage. It was emphasized that none of the authorities and institutions involved wanted to withhold compensation from the victims.

In Lower Saxony, according to the local Ministry of Social Affairs, all 13 victims reported there have submitted applications. Seven are still being processed, six have been granted compensation.