Already with a criminal record

Suspected abuse at the SOS Children’s Village in Seekirchen

Symbolic image(Bild: APA/HERBERT PFARRHOFER)

A former employee of the SOS Children's Village Seekirchen in Salzburg's Flachgau region is alleged to have abused two underage girls. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation against the suspect, who already has a relevant criminal record, as confirmed by public prosecutor's office spokeswoman Ricarda Eder. The suspect is also alleged to have physically abused a then eight-year-old boy in 2020.

"The investigation is still in its early stages," said Eder 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 a relationship of authority.

Alleged acts of abuse five years ago
The acts of abuse are said to have taken place around 2020. The man, who is presumed innocent, is said to have repeatedly performed sexual acts on the girls, who were under 14 at the time, by touching them indecently in their private parts.

The investigation is still in its early stages.

Staatsanwaltschaftssprecherin Ricarda Eder

Salzburg lawyer Sabina Moser has been commissioned by the Salzburg Child Protection Center to act as the girls' legal guardian ad litem. So far, not many assaults have been described by the two, Moser said on Wednesday. The adversarial hearing will take place in mid-October. Only then will it be possible to estimate how many assaults were actually committed by the former home helper.

Accused also allegedly abused eight-year-old boy
According to Moser, there is another alleged case in addition to the two girls. In 2020, the accused is also alleged to have physically abused a boy who was eight years old at the time - this involved pulling his ears and grabbing his neck. "This is also still being investigated," says the victim's lawyer.

Relevant criminal record
The accused already has a relevant criminal record. He was convicted of sexual abuse of minors at the Salzburg Provincial Court in October 2021. At the time, he received eight months' conditional imprisonment and an unconditional fine for assaulting a minor girl between 2011 and 2013. After the conviction at the time, the employment relationship with the man was terminated.

SOS Children's Village refers to victim protection
The current allegations against the ex-employee were not yet known at the time of his conviction. In a statement, the SOS Children's Village said: "We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide any information on ongoing investigations for reasons of victim protection. And in the interests of victim protection, we ask that highly personal details be handled with the utmost sensitivity in reporting in order to prevent stigmatization and victimization of the victims."

First allegations as early as mid-September
Apart from this investigation, serious allegations of abuse 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 report, children and young people were abused, locked up and photographed naked for years. The information in the weekly newspaper "Falter" comes from a study commissioned by the SOS Children's Village itself but never made public.

The allegations in Carinthia relate to the period from 2008 to 2020. In Tyrol, five cases of abuse are said to have occurred between 2017 and 2020.

Structures to be investigated
Following the reports of alleged abuse at two SOS Children's Villages locations in Carinthia and Tyrol, the head of the recently appointed commission of inquiry, Irmgard Griss, has emphasized that she wants to take a close look at the structures within the organization.

Special commission in Carinthia
Carinthia's child and youth protection officer Sara Schaar (SPÖ) has now also announced consequences: A special commission is to review reporting channels and knowledge of the authorities, and a ten-point plan will also be presented to the state parliament on Thursday with amendments to the law, the establishment of an advisory board for those affected and experts as well as support for the Griss Commission.

Schaar emphasized that he was not aware of the critical study himself - why it was kept secret must be clarified, the protection of children has top priority.