Amsterdam (dpa) – Dutch health authorities were aware that minors were castrated in Roman Catholic institutions for the mentally-ill in the 1950s, the De Limburger newspaper reported on Monday. The newspaper said that local health officials were present at board meetings of Catholic institutions at the time and castration was openly discussed. It based its report on minutes taken at board meetings. The NRC Handelsblad newspaper reported on Saturday that at least 10 underage sexual abuse victims in Roman Catholic institutions were castrated in the 1950s. The newspaper said castrations were carried out at psychiatric facilities of the Catholic Church to “heal” boys thought to be homosexual and in at least one case to punish a victim of sexual abuse who dared to speak out. The newspaper based its report on statements from victims, medical reports, private letters and legal documents. A commission of inquiry last year found that tens of thousands of children had been sexually abused in Catholic institutions between 1945 and 1981. The Archbishop of Utrecht, Wim Eijk, in December asked the victims for forgiveness. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/NUJtZ Tags: Castrations, Dutch, Holland, Minors Section: Europe, Health, Human Rights, Western Europe
