SOS Children's Villages investigates violence and abuse in 50 projects

Vienna - On Thursday, SOS Children's Villages Austria announced that children and young people in 20 countries in Africa and Asia have been victims of violence, mistreatment and sexual abuse. The number of victims was not mentioned, it was in any case "small", it said to the APA. As the management of SOS Children's Villages around the world has now announced, there is a need for action in 50 of a total of 3,000 facilities of the national SOS Children's Villages associations.

Also mismanagement and taking advantage

According to the company's own statements, this came out of external reviews. Previously, there had been investigations into the areas of sexual abuse, advantage and corruption in 22 cases. According to its own information, the umbrella association of SOS Children's Villages has known since 2020 that known incidents have not been consistently investigated. In November the investigation of the 22 cases was commissioned. The results were presented to the international Senate on April 26th.

Overall, the 50 affected projects deal with violations of child protection as well as cases of mismanagement and personal gain. This includes limited financial audit reports that are submitted by independent auditors, but also cases of violations of child and youth protection guidelines that are documented in the annual child protection report, according to the Munich-based management of SOS Children's Villages worldwide in a statement sent to the APA .

No details given

Like SOS Children's Villages Austria, the international umbrella organization did not provide any details on the number of victims, the countries affected and the attacks. On Thursday, the managing director of SOS Children's Villages in Austria, Elisabeth Hauser, spoke of "serious misconduct by employees and serious allegations" and made the incidents public for the first time. The children concerned had been "violated" and had been "mistreated through to sexual abuse".

In any case, the 22 cases relate to criminally relevant cases. According to SOS Children's Villages worldwide, these were reported by whistleblowers. They cover a period from the 1990s to the present day. In any case, SOS Children's Villages is expecting further cases, also because of the media attention it has now received. Those affected should receive full support, if necessary also receive psychological help. There is a support fund of ten million euros for the victims. The money comes from the reserves of the SOS Children's Villages.

Sorry

"We ask for your forgiveness," said Wilfried Vyslozil, CEO of SOS Children's Villages worldwide. The SOS Children's Villages Worldwide Association is the world's largest SOS Association. It finances the international SOS facilities in around 100 countries around the world. "On behalf of the association, I apologize to the children and young people who have been harmed," said Ingrid Maria Johansen, chairwoman of the umbrella organization SOS Children's Villages International.

The umbrella organization decided last Thursday that a special commission should deal with the incidents. It includes former and active judges from Kenya, Sri Lanka and Austria. At the same time, SOS Children's Villages Austria, owner of the SOS Children's Village brand, has set up an independent commission headed by Waltraud Klasnic.

Individual children's villages autonomous

The annual child protection report from SOS Children's Villages documents, among other things, cases of emotional degradation, neglect, violent pedagogy and sexual assaults that are reported. According to the report, in 2019 SOS Children's Villages identified 328 of the more than 40,000 employees worldwide who had physically and mentally injured, neglected or sexually abused children and adolescents entrusted to them. The 26-page report breaks down what the perpetrators are accused of: almost every second case involves physical violence. Twelve employees are said to have committed sexual assault and they were fired.

SOS Children's Villages is organized worldwide as a federation under the umbrella of SOS Children's Villages International. The first children's village was built by Hermann Gmeiner in Imst in 1949, and 40 children were cared for at the time. SOS Children's Villages is now active in 137 countries around the world, with more than 1.2 million children and young people being looked after by more than 40,000 employees. The SOS Children's Village organizations in the individual countries can make very autonomous decisions and act. (APA, 7.5.2021)

)