Abuse scandal in the SOS Children's Village: shocking revelations!

Abuse scandal in the SOS Children's Village: shocking revelations!

On November 3, 2025, it became known that the SOS Children's Village in Nußdorf-Debant in East Tyrol was affected by serious allegations of mistreatment. Two women who grew up there in the 1990s report systematic violence and abuse. These incidents are part of a larger problem that affects several SOS Children's Villages. Those affected describe both structural and sexualized violence that they suffered in the facility. In particular, a former village leader, who was in his position for over 20 years, is named as brutally pulling or pushing children when they broke the rules.

The reports indicate that assaults often took place in front of other children to create a deterrent effect. In addition to the village manager, some children's village mothers are also said to have become violent. Older children, referred to as “house brothers,” also committed psychological, physical and sexual violence. One affected person reports sexual harassment by these house brothers. SOS Children's Villages Austria has apologized for the suffering suffered and encourages those affected to report their experiences.

Measures and investigations

After six years, the youth welfare office became proactive for the first time and requested a report from the SOS Children's Village. It remains unclear whether the child welfare authorities were informed about the attacks or not. Many of those affected say that no one asked about their well-being during their time in the children's village. One of the women turned to an ombudsman and was able to receive compensation. However, the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office is currently only investigating abuse at the Imst location, although the independent victim protection commission has already received over 200 reports. There is a growing call for a comprehensive investigation of all children's villages to prevent similar incidents.

The situation in the SOS Children's Village also raises fundamental questions about supervision and responsibility. The internal structures appear to have failed, leading to a system of abuse, as documented in suppressed studies of the children's villages in Moosburg and Imst. Here children were systematically beaten, being locked up was the order of the day and punishments such as deprivation of food and water were used.

Public reactions and loss of trust

The public and the media have reacted strongly to the allegations, especially after revelations that began to emerge in September 2023 in the Viennese weekly newspaper Falter. The founder Hermann Gmeiner, who founded the organization after the Second World War and was nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, is no longer portrayed in a positive light. A bronze statue of him has already been removed after serious allegations of sexual abuse of at least eight boys at the facilities emerged.

The SOS Children's Villages organization has known about the allegations since 2013, but has remained silent and continued to misuse Gmeiner's name to solicit donations. Former managers like Helmut Kutin and Christian Moser are under pressure. Kutin, who died in 2024, and Moser, who was released from duty at the beginning of October 2023, are under heavy strain both internally at SOS Children's Villages and in public.

A current annual report for 2024 reveals the organization's worrying financial situation: 1,768 children are under its care, with annual income of 188 million euros. The loss of trust in the organization as a result of these scandals has already led to a decline in donations, putting future work at even greater risk.