After Tyrol and Carinthia: Suspicion of Abuse in Salzburg SOS Children's Village

A former employee of the SOS Children's Village Seekirchen in the Salzburg Flachgau is alleged to have abused two underage girls in the children's village Seekirchen. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation against the suspect, as public prosecutor's office spokeswoman Ricarda Eder confirmed a corresponding report in the "Salzburger Nachrichten" (SN, Wednesday edition) to the APA.

"The investigations are still in the early stages," Eder said to the APA on Wednesday. Therefore, she could not yet say anything concrete about the allegations. Many interviews are still pending. The case is very sensitive. The public prosecutor's office is investigating on suspicion of sexual abuse of minors and abuse of an authority relationship.

Victim's Lawyer: Number of Incidents Currently Unclear

According to SN, the acts of abuse are said to have occurred around the year 2020. The man, who is presumed innocent, is alleged to have repeatedly performed sexual acts on the girls, who were under 14 at the time, by inappropriately touching them in their intimate areas.

The Salzburg lawyer Sabina Moser was appointed as the legal process companion for the girls by the Salzburg Child Protection Center. So far, not many incidents have been reported by the two, Moser said on Wednesday in a conversation with the APA. The contradictory interview will take place in mid-October. Only then can it be estimated how many incidents there were by the then caregiver.

The man, who was around 52 years old in 2020, supported the children's village mother at the time, explained the victim's lawyer. The two girls were between eight and thirteen years old in 2020. In addition, there is another alleged case of abuse. The accused is said to have inflicted physical violence on an eight-year-old boy at the time, involving ear pulling and grabbing the neck. "This will also be investigated," said Moser.

Former Employee Already Has Relevant Criminal Record

The accused already has a relevant criminal record. He was legally convicted in October 2021 at the Salzburg Regional Court for sexual abuse of minors, as reported by the SN. At that time, he received an eight-month suspended sentence and an unconditional fine because he had assaulted a minor girl between 2011 and 2013. After the conviction at that time, the employment relationship with the man was terminated.

SOS Children's Village Refers to Victim Protection

The current allegations against the former employee were not known at the time of his previous conviction. A statement from SOS Children's Village to the APA is still pending. The following statement was sent to the "Salzburger Nachrichten": "We ask for understanding that we cannot provide information on ongoing investigations for reasons of victim protection. And we ask for a highly sensitive handling of highly personal details in reporting in the interest of victim protection, to prevent stigmatization and victimization of the victims."

Child Protection Steps Already Initiated According to Children's Village

In the case of those affected mentioned in the SN, the appropriate child protection steps have been initiated, it was stated. These included a conversation with the young people, informing the internal child protection office, informing the relevant authorities, and notifying the management levels. "Our focus is on the protection and support of the affected young people. We work closely and transparently with the relevant authorities and provide all necessary documents. The presumption of innocence applies to the accused. Regardless of the proceedings, we continuously work to further strengthen child protection, transparency, and review."

Serious Allegations Against Children's Villages in Carinthia and Tyrol

Apart from this investigation case, serious allegations of mistreatment became known in mid-September, which are said to have occurred years ago in SOS Children's Villages in Carinthia and Tyrol. According to a "Falter" report, children and adolescents are said to have been mistreated, locked up, and photographed naked over the years. The information from the weekly newspaper comes from a study that SOS Children's Village itself commissioned but never made public. The allegations in Carinthia refer to the period from 2008 to 2020. In Tyrol, there are said to have been five cases of abuse between 2017 and 2020, as recently reported by the "Tiroler Tageszeitung."

Following reports of alleged abuse at two SOS Children's Village locations in Carinthia and Tyrol, the head of the recently established investigation commission, Irmgard Griss, emphasized that she wants to thoroughly examine the structures within the organization.

Special Commission Convened in Carinthia

Carinthia's Child and Youth Protection Officer Sara Schaar (SPÖ) announced consequences on Wednesday following the serious allegations made against the SOS Children's Village Moosburg: The responsible supervisory authority was asked to "have all measures and guidelines reviewed again," it was stated in a release. Meanwhile, the state office directorate has been commissioned to conduct a special audit of the Internal Audit and Office Inspection: "This special commission is to meticulously review the reporting channels - in general and in the specific case -, the knowledge of the authority and its timing, as well as the resulting actions in terms of timeliness and adequacy."

In addition, a ten-point plan has been developed in recent days based on the study. This is to be presented to the Carinthian state parliament on Thursday "with concrete proposals for amending the Carinthian Child and Youth Welfare Act." A specific recommendation for action from the study also includes the installation of an advisory board for those affected as well as an expert advisory board for further development in child and victim protection. Furthermore, the announced Griss Commission will also be fully supported.

Schaar further emphasized that she was not aware of the study: "Why and by whom it was kept secret needs to be clarified and the necessary consequences initiated. For me, there is no question: The protection of children and young people has absolute priority."

Details of the incidents in Tyrol have become known

In Tyrol, too, there was a political call for consequences on Wednesday after more details about the allegations at the children's village in Imst became known. According to media reports, the violence was directed against employees in the form of verbal, psychological, structural, and sexualized violence. It occurred due to negligent behavior by leaders, but also from the children and young people in the children's village. Employees were affected by abuse of power by superiors. The violence was also directed against the children and young people. A person in a leadership position was eventually dismissed without notice. The public prosecutor's office is currently examining a possible initial suspicion. In the past, however, nothing had been pending with the prosecution authority.

Tyrolean FPÖ and Greens demand "full transparency"

The issue is to be addressed in the Tyrolean state parliament in any case. FPÖ and Greens each announced an inquiry to Social Councillor Eva Pawlata (SPÖ). "Open questions" are to be clarified, said FPÖ state parliament member Gudrun Kofler. The fact that the allegations only come to light "piecemeal years later shows a blatant failure of those responsible." Pawlata can no longer "hide behind internal processing processes," full transparency is needed. Green state parliament member Zeliha Arslan also believed that internal reports are "by far" not enough: "There needs to be a legal obligation for all associations and organizations that have children in their care to immediately report any assault to the authorities and the public prosecutor's office." The state must "review the control mechanisms of such institutions," she demanded.

(APA/Red)

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