Opinion

Opinion: “As the victim of the benefits affair, why am I not allowed to decide how to build my future?”

As a victim of the benefits affair, Simcha van Dijk received a budget from the municipality of Amsterdam that should contribute to her future. It turned out that she was not allowed to spend this on her education and wonders why. “Isn't recovery about returning control and autonomy to victims?”

Simcha van DijkApril 5, 2025, 3:00 AM

My mother, brother and I are victims of the benefits affair. At the time, we were hit by the false allegations of fraud by the tax authorities, whose financial stress has haunted our family for years.

Recently, the municipality of Amsterdam gave me a budget of 2,500 euros that should contribute to recovery and the opportunity to decide independently about my (financial) future again. I thought it was a good opportunity to take a step forward. But that independence did not appear to be there; when I asked if this amount could be used for my tuition fees, I received a firm 'no' as an answer. Because, as the youth counselor's reasoning was, it was supposed to contribute to “visible recovery for the future”.

This is a submitted contribution

This article is a submitted contribution written by Simcha van Dijk (24) from Amsterdam.

Opinion pieces are submitted by readers and do not represent the position of the Parool editors. Everyone can submit opinion pieces. Read how that works here.

This answer raised my eyebrows. Isn't recovery just about giving victims back control and autonomy? And won't my studies contribute to my future? Instead of contributing to my studies, I had to be creative with my choices in order to receive something that would “contribute to the future”. For example, I bought a pair of shoes, a backpack and a bike. Unfortunately, that bike was stolen in no time. Fortunately, he was insured.

Squabbling decision makers

My story shows that the current policy not only lacks empathy, but also the awareness that customization is necessary for recovery. Where one person needs immediate and visible recovery, others need an investment in the future. For example, the prospect of a financial contribution to university studies fell apart for me because a municipal official decided what I, as a victim, could do with the compensation. So my view of a better future is still being determined by others, while the whole point of the benefits affair should be to break free from old, discriminatory systems that determine how I shape my recovery.

However, the current approach contributes to persistent inequality. Benefit victims have been financially and emotionally pressured by the government for years, with far-reaching consequences for our lives and future. Now that we finally get a chance to start over, we are again confronted with a system that prescribes what is good for us — and that, due to overload, we are often unable to get in touch with for months. Where is that much-discussed trust in the resilience and insight of the victims themselves? And why shouldn't we decide for ourselves how to rebuild our lives?

Instead of seeing and acknowledging victims, the public debate highlights bickering decision-makers over and over again. My frustration flares up every time I read in the newspaper that yet another leader dares to 'honorable' recovery only to drop out quickly due to internal quarrels.

More than just a means of transport

I would like to address municipalities and decision makers: first of all, take the victims seriously instead of continuing to bicker about who will be in charge of the bureaucratic processes and financial compensation. Recovery not only means compensating financially, but also giving back control over one's own future.

As for the bike, I can't help but see the irony of the situation. It felt frustrating to lose something that was meant to be an investment in my future so quickly. Maybe fate decided it in a certain way. The person who has my bike now probably doesn't think about it, but he or she drives around on more than just a means of transportation.

That bike has become a symbol of a system that repeatedly fails to provide real recovery. A system that prefers to maintain bureaucratic frameworks than offers tailor-made solutions to victims, to help them in a way that suits them. And while that bike thief continues his way unconcerned, I am left with the harsh reality that my vision for the future is not being taken seriously. For me, that is perhaps the biggest tragedy of the whole story.

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