Loads of problems in its operation “Ark of the World”with serious consequences violations of children’s rights who were accommodated in its structures, highlights the investigation by the Ombudsman which was sent to the Deputy Minister of Welfare and Social Solidarity, Domna Michailidou. Among other things, as stated in the Ombudsman’s opinion, “arbitrary and harmful practices were found for the children that related to key areas of their lives, such as the management of their behavior and difficulties, education and preparation for their integration into the labor market, communication with their family and other persons outside of the organization, respect for their personality and private life, and their social life and participation in a manner comparable to their peers”.

In the finding it is also mentioned that its founder “Ark of the World”, p. Antonios, although he did not participate in the Board of Directors, he had a primary role in the operation of the organization and in decision-making in all areas, while in documents he is described as the “spiritual father” of the children and “the most important person of reference” for them. Consequently, the organisation’s operating model, which was based on its judgment and views on the education and general treatment of children, as revealed by the investigation, was not open to criticism or challenge and was implemented in all the Annexes, under the supervision of a group of his close associates, some of whom also participated in the administration.

As the Ombudsman points out, the main problem is the fact that there was an absence of control due to the prestige and wide social acceptance that surrounded the public image of Father Antonios and which “they had made the “Ark of the World” essentially beyond criticism or control by the competent bodies of the State”.

Many serious problems identified by the Ombudsman are not reflected in the audit reports of the competent social advisers, which are limited to recording data on the legal form, licensing, staffing and building facilities of the structures, without reference to the quality of care provided or on the rights of hosted children, although some of them mention the impossibility of carrying out substantial control in these areas, as there was an absence of an institutional framework for the operation of child protection units, as is typically mentioned.

As summarized in the conclusion: “The absence, until recently, of an institutional framework for the operation of the Child Protection Units of the private sector, combined with the inadequacy of control mechanisms and procedures, contributed to the operation of the shelter structures of the Ark of the World for a number of years based on an idiosyncratic and arbitrary system rules of inspiration of its founder, which were not amenable to questioning, although it ignored the modern facts and perceptions about the upbringing and needs of children, but also the provisions of the legislation regarding their rights. The above highlights the importance of the establishment of rules and operating specifications of the units in question with KYA ​​40949/2022, as a necessary condition for ensuring the quality of the care provided and the effective performance of the work of the control mechanisms”.

Finally, the conclusion concludes with specific proposals to the competent ministry that have to do with the institutional framework for the operation of the Child Protection and Care Units, with the strengthening of supervision and control mechanisms and with informing and expressing the opinion of children on issues that concern.

See HERE the entire conclusion