Relatives of an Antwerp student murdered in May 2019 are urging Belgium’s judicial and political authorities to take up their responsibilities.
The plea came in an open letter sent on Friday to all competent ministers and party presidents, calling on them to take stock of the situation four years after Julie Van Espen was murdered by a man who had already been convicted twice for rape.
The victim’s relatives stressed that they want everyone to assume their responsibilities because, they noted, “Julie would still be alive if everyone in the judicial world had fulfilled their responsibilities.”
The importance of monitoring sex offenders
They also pleaded for an extension of the period during which complaints can be lodged and for an evaluation of the heads of the prosecutor’s offices and courts.
This last would, however, require a constitutional amendment.
The parents and relatives of Julie Van Espen stressed the importance of monitoring sex offenders.
“Most sex offenders seem to just serve their time so they don’t get treatment. Julie’s killer did not want to be treated either and simply served his sentence from a previous conviction,” they noted in their letter, calling for additional forensic psychiatric centres and support within prisons.
Positive developments in recent years …
The late student’s relatives noted a number of positive developments such as the establishment of five sexual violence centres in the last three years and the start of the digitisation of the judiciary.
They welcomed the increased awareness of sexually transgressive behaviour, and the extension of the police clearance requirement for people working with minors, although they questioned the fact that the youth sector seems to be an exception.
The victim’s family further reiterated their demand that sexual offences should, by definition, be tried behind closed doors.
“We obviously understand the importance of publicity, but in the specific case of sexual assault (and based on our own experience), we believe the privacy of the victim takes precedence over the publicity of the proceedings,” they argued.
… but tonnes of work still to be done
“We also question the value of reporting every fact of a trial in the media. The ‘daily blog’ on various news sites may also deter victims from testifying in vice cases,” they added.
Finally, the relatives of Julie Van Espen welcomed the in-depth reform of the sex crime law. “Based on the past four years, we have been able to see that progress has finally been made by the Justice Department,” they noted. “In some areas we have already come a long way, in others there is still tonnes of work to be done.”
The bereaved family concluded by expressing the hope that work on the case can continue this year, despite the approach of the 2024 elections.
