Hermann Gmeiner

Allegations of abuse against SOS Children’s Villages founder

The series of scandals surrounding SOS Children's Villages seems unending. Now even the founder of the Children's Village is being accused of abuse(Bild: APA/DPA, Wolfgang Jannach)

Allegations of abuse have also been made against SOS Children's Villages founder Hermann Gmeiner, who died in 1986, following further reports from those affected and internal investigations. Gmeiner is said to have committed "sexual violence and abuse" against at least eight underage boys. During his lifetime, he was considered a "pioneer of humanity" and received numerous awards. SOS Children's Villages announced a new start.

The name apparently says it all at SOS Children's Villages: Eight documented cases of abuse against founder Hermann Gmeiner have emerged in the ongoing victim protection proceedings. In recent weeks, further victims and employees have come forward in the course of the investigation. SOS Children's Villages is investigating every report and has also intensified its internal research into historical files. The eight internally documented victim protection cases in connection with the founder Gmeiner, who was considered a great friend of children, emerged from these reviews.

Further victims cannot be ruled out
The reports date from the years 2013 to 2023, but concern alleged acts from the 1950s to 1980s at four locations in Austria. "The victims have plausibly explained what happened as part of the victim protection proceedings. The decisions on compensation are made on the basis of a plausibility check, it is not a forensic investigation," explained Managing Director Annemarie Schlack. Other victims cannot be ruled out - no assaults on girls have been reported to date.

Coming to terms applies to everyone - regardless of role, function, merit, time period, influence or symbolic power. No one is above the principle of responsibility, not even founding figures.

Annemarie Schlack, seit 2024 Geschäftsführerin von SOS-Kinderdorf 

The series of scandals surrounding SOS Children's Villages appears to be unending. Now even the founder of the Children's Village is being accused of abuse(Bild: APA/DPA, Wolfgang Jannach)

All eight victims were compensated with up to 25,000 euros and therapy sessions were also paid for. Throughout his life, Gmeiner was considered to be legally blameless. The victim protection proceedings are also not a legal instrument, but "an instrument of recognition and support".

Gmeiner as a "pioneer of humanity"
 Hermann Gmeiner, born on June 23, 1919 in Vorarlberg, was previously regarded as a "pioneer of humanity". In 1949, aged just under 30, he founded the Societas Socialis association (SOS for short), which later became the SOS Children's Village. His aim was to give children without parents "a home that is as close to a family as possible". The first SOS Children's Village was established in Imst (Tyrol) in the same year. On Christmas Eve 1950, five orphans moved in there with their so-called SOS mother - the start of a successful global model.

Archive photo of Hermann Gmeiners: He would be 106 years old today.(Bild: AP/AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur)

In the 1960s, the SOS Children's Village idea also spread outside Europe to Asia and Latin America. The first SOS Children's Village in this region was set up in Quito, Ecuador, in 1964. The first Children's Village in Africa followed in 1971. Today, SOS Children's Villages is represented in around 135 countries.

International accusations from Asia and Africa
Internationally, allegations of abuse against the organization have repeatedly surfaced, particularly in Asia and Africa. In 2021, SOS Children's Villages Austria made public for the first time the suspicion of sexual abuse of children and young people in its care by an Austrian who has since died.

The founder was showered with public honors. According to the SOS Children's Villages website, he received 146 awards and cultivated friendships with international celebrities such as the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa. In Austria, numerous schools, streets and parks (such as one in Vienna's Innere Stadt district) have been named after Gmeiner. There is also a Hermann Gmeiner memorial in the district. In 1994, the Austrian Post dedicated a special stamp to him.

Gmeiner died unmarried of cancer on April 26, 1986 at the age of 67. The organization asks anyone affected to contact the reporting office at [e-mail]. SOS Children's Villages has drawn a clear conclusion from the allegations: the reappraisal and reorganization are taking place simultaneously. SOS Children's Villages also wants to rigorously clear up its outdated "ideal world image".