Head of orphan aid organization dismissed following revelations of child abuse

The supervisory board of SOS Children's Villages Austria has dismissed its long-standing CEO Christian Moser with immediate effect after the media uncovered serious cases of child abuse at the organization's facilities. Writes Falter.

Moser, who worked for the organization for orphans and abandoned children for three decades and headed it for 17 years, has been suspended until the investigation is complete. According to Annemarie Schlack, a member of the board of directors, this step was necessary to maintain credibility and transparency.

The trigger was the findings of the aforementioned magazine, which published reports of systematic physical and psychological abuse in the children's villages of Moosburg and Imst. According to the documents, children were beaten, photographed naked, punished by being deprived of food and water, or even locked up.

The investigation shows that the organization's management knew about the incidents but did nothing about them for years.

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