An investigation is underway following revelations that young boys in an orphanage in Athens, Greece were being forced into sexual acts by staff members.
The name of the facility remains under wraps for the time being in order to protect the identity of the victims. Apparently, the decision follows a previous indictment; there had been more testimonies regarding abuse at the facility with the head of the institution resorting to “irrational explanations”.
Deputy Minister for Social Affairs Domna Michailidou, speaking to ANT1 TV, confirmed the cases and said that the boys were being evaluated by health officials.
Four boys aged 7-11 were removed from the institution and have been placed in hospital care following the accusations that they were being forced to perform sexual and violent acts on each other by female employees.
The case has been forwarded to the Athens Prosecutor’s Office and state funding to the institution has been stopped.
“I received a complaint in my hands, surnamed, from three people related to the structure who told me that there was physical violence against children, but also sexual acts-relationships between children, specifically for children 7 to 11 years old, boys, and the staff sat and watched,” said Ms Michailidou.
“My colleagues and I were reading this report, the first thing we did the next day was to file an indictment with the prosecutor, the next day I froze the state funding in the private structure and organised together with the National Transparency Authority mixed scales with experts for the administrative and doctors. They went yesterday and examined the children one by one,” she added.
“Four of them are from the structure in ‘Paidon’ (hospital), in order to testify in an environment different from that of the structure.”
““We have always had a problem with this structure. Already, there is another prosecution for illegal adoptions and sponsorships and members of our service are in the prosecutor’s office every week to testify” she said.
Meanwhile, the specific orphanage had only registered 30 children last year, while Greece’s National Health Organisation (EODY) discovered there were more unregistered children at the facility.
