The international NGO Children ‘s Villages SOS announced today (6/5) that investigates cases of violence, mainly sexual violence, and financial fraud, committed since the 1990s in about twenty of its structures.
Its CEO Elizabeth Hauser revealed “cases of serious breaches of child protection and abuse in some countries in Africa and Asia “, in a statement issued by the mko headquarters in Vienna, stating “shocked”.
“There are obvious weaknesses in our organization (…) and allegations that SOS Children’s Village executives were aware of some incidents but did not take action,” he added.
According to a spokesperson contacted by Agence France-Presse, “sexual abuse” has been reported, while the complainants have been “sidelined” and the juveniles’ speech has been “disputed”.
Elizabeth Hauser, for example, referred to reporters in the case of a child who was isolated and barred from visiting his parents because of his poor school performance.
Regarding the inappropriate management of resources, the director referred to calls for tenders for projects in which relatives of SOS Children’s Village executives were selected.
Intention to compensate the victims
The NGO, which launched an initial internal review three years ago and ordered further investigation in November 2020, has set up an independent committee in order to shed light on these events by the end of 2022.
Intends to compensate victims, whose number has not been clarified, with the help of a fund of “several million euros”.
The NGO, founded after World War II in Austria and now present in 137 countries where it manages some 550 charities and employs 40,000 people, takes care of 1.2 million orphans or children in need around the world.
In 2014, the NGO was already facing child abuse allegations in Austria during the period from the 1950s to the 1990s.
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