Campaigner gives hope to Luxembourg child sex abuse survivors
A Scottish actor and campaigner has helped give a voice to survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Luxembourg.
Playwright, TV presenter and actor Matthew McVarish called in at the capital as part of his 16,000 kilometre hike to raise awareness about the campaign “Stop the Silence, Stop Child Sexual Abuse.”
On Monday he held a screening of his film, “To Kill a Kelpie”, based on his own sexual abuse experience and over the last week has met with other survivors in Luxembourg to hear their stories.
“There were people in the audience who were abused decades ago. After seeing the film, they decided to press charges, which is really significant,” he told wort.lu/en.
Mr McVarish explained that victims were sometimes uanble to press charges in Luxembourg because the country’s statute of limitations prevents them from making a claim once they reach the age of 28. They may make a police report but the police are powerless to act.
“Because of the neurological damage it creates, most (people) don’t disclose (child sexual abuse) until their thirties or forties,” he explained, adding: “I met a family trying to press charges against an offender but they can’t because of the Luxembourg statute of limitations.”
During his visit, the campaigner met with Luxembourg’s ministers for Justice, Family, Education and Youth to discuss possible strategies to ensure justice can be served and potential victims protected.
Among the suggestions, he would like to see the statute of limitations age raised and the introduction of a child sex offender register in the Grand Duchy. He said that the group of survivors he met in Luxembourg plans to campaign to see changes in the Luxembourg system.
Mr McVarish recognised, however, that even with these measures, it was not easy for survivors to speak out in a small country like Luxembourg. “I’m from Scotland a place with six million people. In a country this size everyone knows everyone. In that environment, it’s difficult to press charges and make accusations.”
On Thursday morning, the campaigner set out for his next destination, Brussels, accompanied for the first few kilometres by British Ambassador to Luxembourg Alice Walpole. Mr McVarish’s campaign hike to take in 30 European cities began on May 31 from London and will end on February 2015.
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