IOM plays waiting game with Nazi slave workers

18.Aug.02 - Because of her worldwide net of offices the IOM has been chosen a partner organisation for the German Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future”. That is responsible to make compensation available to victims of the Nazi system of slave labour and the so-called “Aryanization” of property.The IOM handles non-Jewish cases in countries where there is no adequate foundation as in France, the Netherlands, Greece, or Italy. The IOM has been chosen despite the fact that they did not have experience with German compensation law. The IOM is accountable to the participating states and the German Foundation. Lowering the number of people who are recognised legitimate to get payments seems to be the only aim of her strategies. Out of 320.000 claims (306.000 for forced labour, 14.000 for property loss), only 75.000 former labourers are supposed to be ‘entitled’. Some offices pre-tested claims only to propose several people not to make an application at all because these were deemed unsuccessful. That keeps the number of claims down. Equally, in contrast to other organisations, the IOM does not allow compensating i.e. former slave labourers in the farming industry, or children of deported slave labourers. Statistics show that in comparison with other foundations, the IOM is extremely slow with payments. For example, a Historic Commission of only five staff (!) establishes eligibility of the claims concerning property. Up to now only 16.879 people got paid, whilst i.e. the Polish fund already compensated 305.000 people. All compensation shall be paid in two instalments but because the IOM is so slow most of the ageing applicants will die before the second round. Finally, the well-equipped IOM deals with people who are spread all over the world - not associated in any way - and whose protest is very easy to silent.

more information: for more information see: www.compensation-for-forced-labour.org