Austria SOS Children's Villages founder Gmeiner suspected of abuse
The founder of the global aid organization SOS Children's Villages, Hermann Gmeiner, is suspected of abuse. There are credible allegations of sexual and physical abuse against the Austrian, who died in 1986, a spokeswoman for SOS Children's Villages Austria told the German Press Agency.
23.10.2025, 10:40
23.10.2025, 15:14
SDA
The allegations against the teacher concern eight male former children and young people at four Children's Village locations in Austria. The assaults are said to have been committed between the 1950s and the 1980s, according to a statement from the organization in Innsbruck. It "cannot be ruled out" that further cases will emerge in the course of the investigation, the spokesperson said.
Allegations known internally for years
The allegations against Gmeiner have been known within the organization for years, but have only now been made public as part of an ongoing investigation into possible abuses by SOS Children's Villages employees. "No one is above the principle of responsibility, not even founding figures," said Annemarie Schlack, Managing Director of SOS Children's Villages Austria, in a statement.
According to the organization, Gmeiner's alleged victims came forward between 2013 and 2023 and also underwent victim protection proceedings during this time. Those affected had received compensation payments and therapy, it said. The alleged incidents were not substantiated by court rulings, but by credible and plausible accounts, the spokeswoman said.
Reform commission: Chairwoman sees "super disaster"
Based on a report in the Viennese weekly newspaper "Falter", a series of alleged assaults by Children's Village employees in the recent past had become public in recent weeks. Since then, the organization has announced a "new start". In addition, an external commission has been set up to deal with grievances and structural problems. The accusations against employees are a "super disaster", said commission chairwoman Irmgard Griss to dpa. The additional accusations against Gmeiner would not make the committee's work any easier. "It shows the urgency of looking into this," said the former President of the Supreme Court in Austria. According to Griss, the aim is to restore trust in the organization and prevent further incidents.
Children's Village founded after the Second World War
Gmeiner was born into a family of mountain farmers in 1919. After the Second World War, the then medical student became involved in helping children in need. In 1951, the first SOS Children's Village for orphaned and abandoned children was opened in Imst in Tyrol, Austria. The organization now cares for children and young people around the world whose parents are unable to look after them for various reasons.
