Alert Raised Over Potential Violence Incidents at Imst's SOS Children's Villages Campus in Tirol
In a shocking turn of events, the SOS Children's Village in Moosburg, Carinthia, has been facing serious allegations of mistreatment, locking up children, and photographing them naked over several years. These allegations, which date back to 2008 to 2020, were documented in a study commissioned by the SOS Children's Village itself.
Upon learning of these allegations in 2020, the SOS Children's Village initiated a comprehensive investigation. The institution has also been affected by cases of violence and abuse in its branches in Carinthia and Tyrol.
In a significant move, SOS Children's Village introduced a new binding child protection guideline in January 2023. The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Graz will obtain the study for a re-examination of the criminal case. The case will be considered reportable due to the significance of the crimes to be clarified.
In 2020, a leading employee at the SOS Children's Village in Moosburg was investigated by the Graz public prosecutor for serious allegations including sexual abuse and covering up misconduct. This employee was immediately suspended and later dismissed by SOS Children's Village in June 2020, although the dismissal was not directly linked to the prosecutorial investigations. Investigations revealed violations of guidelines by this employee, and several other staff members were also under investigation. Comprehensive internal and external measures were implemented to address the issues, including structural changes, independent studies, and ongoing evaluations of the institution's handling of the incidents.
The leading figures involved in the incidents in Imst have been dismissed, and the location is now under new leadership. SOS Children's Village has also implemented various reporting channels, ombudsmen for former residents, and an anonymous whistleblower platform.
In 2021, the SOS Children's Village department for children and youth welfare informed the province of Tyrol about "verbal pedagogical misconduct". The organization reported on "implemented quality assurance measures for child welfare and processing procedures". They parted ways with leadership figures and thoroughly addressed the incidents in question with external support.
Four of the cases were reported to the child and youth welfare service at the end of November 2021, and the fifth case was reported in August 2022. The public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck is currently investigating a possible initial suspicion. There were no findings in the previous proceedings at the public prosecutor's office regarding similar cases in Moosburg.
The institution in Moosburg announced an "external evaluation of processing procedures" following these allegations. An employee was dismissed without notice due to the misconduct. Five suspected cases of child endangerment were reported at SOS Children's Village in Imst, Tyrol between 2017 and 2020. No further cases were known to the province regarding the SOS Children's Village in Tyrol.
The results of the previous internal processing of these cases will be reviewed by an independent commission, with details to be communicated in the coming week. The SOS Children's Village continues to implement measures to ensure the safety and well-being of the children under its care.
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