Accusations in the SOS Children's Village Case Also at the Location in East Tyrol

"I would be surprised if there had been no violence or abuse in an SOS Children's Village. The closed, patriarchal system of the past was the breeding ground for it," said a woman who grew up in the SOS Children's Village Nussdorf-Debant for ten years starting in 1994. According to the accounts, there were assaults by adults - including the then head of the village, who was highly regarded in the area and held the educational and administrative leadership of the place for over two decades until his retirement.

Affected: SOS Children's Village Director Used Violence for Rule Violations

"I was often affected. I was considered rebellious because I demanded my rights. Time and again, I received a slap from the village director," the woman recalls. These assaults often took place in front of other children, "to set an example." The second, younger woman, who also grew up in the East Tyrolean SOS Children's Village in the 1990s, confirms this. It happened "so that every child knows what awaits them if they are not well-behaved, make mistakes, or do not follow the rules." The village director would pull children by the ears or hair "if they did not follow his rules."

Some individual children's village mothers also used violence, the two affected women confided to the APA in agreement. "I was never hit by mine, but other children in our house were. I decided early on that I did not want to overwhelm my children's village mother. I believe I sensed that it was due to her being overwhelmed that she hit children. I therefore tried to be a 'good child'," the younger one states. Her children's village mother was "part of a system" that was "characterized by patriarchal structures. The village director set the rules. This power imbalance silenced many - including adults who actually wanted to help."

SOS Children's Village Location Nussdorf-Debant Has Existed for 70 Years

The older woman recalls "food deprivation and slaps." In winter, her children's room was sometimes not heated as a punishment. The SOS Children's Village Nussdorf-Debant - the second oldest children's village in Austria after the founding location in Imst in the Tyrolean Oberinntal - has existed for almost exactly 70 years. For decades, seven "families" lived there, each led by a so-called children's village mother responsible for five children. At least until the 1990s, the children's village mothers were not adequately pedagogically trained.

The so-called sibling children were a mixed group. Older, more dominant boys exerted psychological, physical, and sexualized violence at the expense of the younger ones, the two women revealed to the APA. "Two so-called house brothers sexually harassed me for years," the younger one disclosed to the APA. She eventually confided in her children's village mother. There were no consequences for the perpetrators. "Sexual violence among children was ignored," the older woman agreed with the younger one's accounts. The victims received no support: "They had to continue living under the same roof with the perpetrators."

SOS Children's Village Expects "More Cases from the Past"

"The suffering that the young people experienced in the care of SOS Children's Village deeply affects us, and we want to sincerely apologize for it," SOS Children's Village Austria responded Monday afternoon to an APA inquiry. "We understand that some affected individuals also turn to the media to share their experiences. It shows the understandable desire to make grievances public and visible," it said in a statement.

At the same time, the organization appealed to those affected to also use the existing reporting channels at SOS Children's Village, "so that we can document, examine, and process each individual case as carefully as possible." They expect "further cases from the past - and that is important and desired. Everything must be brought to light, every single case should be clarified. Only in this way can we ensure a genuine new beginning."

The review concerns "absolutely everyone - regardless of role, function, merits, period, influence, or symbolic power." Only through consistent transparency, responsibility, and compassion can new trust be established.

Youth Welfare Office Requested Report for the First Time After Six Years

In the case of one of the affected individuals who was housed at the Nussdorf-Debant location at the time, the responsible youth welfare office may not have fulfilled its legally prescribed control function to the necessary extent. As the young woman later learned from her file, the youth welfare office in Innsbruck requested a report from SOS Children's Village for the first time after six years, in order to determine whether the well-being of the externally housed girl was ensured. "It is assumed that the child is doing well. As the responsible social worker, I do not doubt it. However, a bit more formalism is now required, and therefore I ask you for a development report," it said in an official letter addressed to the East Tyrolean SOS Children's Village.

It remains open for now whether and, if so, since when the Tyrolean Child and Youth Welfare (KJH) and the Tyrolean Child and Youth Advocacy (KIJA) were aware of violent or sexualized assaults against defenseless children or underage adolescents at the Nussdorf-Debant location. Written inquiries from the APA on this matter remain unanswered for now.

"I Often Wondered Why No One Ever Came"

"I often wondered why no one ever came to check how I was really doing and what the conditions were like in our children's village," says the person affected by sexualized violence today. The psychological consequences of the experience were massive. Her academic performance declined: "No one asked why. Even though I was a very good student before."

Instead, the village director unenrolled her from higher schools against her will twice: "At the beginning of the school year, the principal came to the class after a few days and asked me to come with her. She told me that unfortunately, I was no longer allowed to attend school and that she had never experienced a young person wanting to go to school but not being allowed to." Her desire to graduate was denied: "That destroyed my self-confidence." She had to "painstakingly rebuild her self-esteem in long therapy."

Affected Person Turned to Ombudsman and Was Compensated

The affected person eventually turned to an SOS Children's Village ombudsman and presented what had happened to her: "This step was incredibly difficult. The hurdle to turn to an ombudsman is high. Many do not manage to do it. Out of fear, out of shame, or because they do not even know that they have a right to redress." Today, the woman is pursuing a degree, financially supported by SOS Children's Village.

SOS Children's Village Austria also offered the woman compensation after the independent victim protection commission dealt with her case. The letter was signed by the current management. It explicitly emphasizes that the injustice suffered by the affected person is acknowledged. The two women who contacted APA assure that further compensation procedures for affected wards have been processed in connection with violent assaults in the East Tyrol SOS Children's Village. Specifically, the two women are aware of two other cases.

Innsbruck Public Prosecutor's Office Currently Investigating Only SOS Children's Village Location Imst

The Innsbruck Public Prosecutor's Office has apparently not been informed of any criminally relevant allegations regarding the Nussdorf-Debant location so far. The Tyrolean prosecution authority is currently only conducting investigations into mistreatment at the Imst location - "specifically in eight cases," as media spokesperson Hansjörg Mayr confirmed over the weekend in response to an APA inquiry. There is an "initial suspicion," and the public prosecutor's office commissioned the Tyrolean State Criminal Police Office with investigations at the beginning of October.

"We have to wait for the police investigations. We are also continuously examining whether further suspicions arise from media reports within the jurisdiction of the Innsbruck Public Prosecutor's Office," Mayr stated. This also includes any actions "with which already deceased individuals were supported in their crimes. We will also take into account the findings of the investigation commission that has been set up."

The two women who are now going public with their experiences in the Nussdorf-Debant Children's Village "are not seeking revenge. Rather, they want to ensure that no one is left alone again," emphasizes the younger woman. As a child, she "often felt anger towards those who looked away." Today, she does not want to "point fingers, but be part of a solution." She was fortunate to meet people "who believed in me." She wants to pass that on: "The redress must not end. It should not depend on chance whether one receives support. Change can only succeed if those affected are allowed to have a say."

"I hope that former children's village children who have not managed to do so until now will turn to the ombudsman, be taken seriously there, and receive an apology for the injustice suffered," the older woman affirms. She points out that so far, significantly more than 200 reports have been received by the independent victim protection commission for the redress of violent incidents in SOS Children's Villages. This may only be the tip of an iceberg. "Why is there no comprehensive investigation in all children's villages? Studies like in Moosburg and Imst?" In her children's village in East Tyrol, "the staff knew about the incidents. Everyone looked away. There was hardly any external control, such as by the youth welfare office."

(APA/Red)

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