For “violence, cruel and degrading treatment and social isolation” the first reports that reached the Ombudsman about structures of the NGO Ark of the World spoke, according to what was testified in the trial before the Three-member Court of Misdemeanors of father Antonio and seven other former employees of “Kivotos”, the special scientist at the Ombudsman Socialis minister Samantha Stratidakis.

The witness, the first to open the cycle of testimony in the case of complaints of humiliating and abusive behavior, physical punishments and threats to children who were accommodated in the Organization’s structures, testified about the reports-complaints received by the Ombudsman from guests and employees of structures, which she investigated herself.

The reports described various extreme incidents that seem to have occurred among guests, for which Mrs. Stratidaki emphasized: “The children told us that everything that was happening was known to Father Antonio.”

As the witness testified:

“I was tasked with investigating a series of reports from April 2022. There were six written reports, but there were also oral reports. A first meeting was held with Mrs. TS, who spoke to us mainly about the structure of Piraeus. Harsh humiliating treatment was reported to us, meaning that children were violently immobilized by staff if they were in a fit of rage. She mentioned to me a social isolation: that at the age of 16 when she entered the structure, her cell phone was taken away. He also told me that the children were subject to a public assessment system every week to be able to go out e.g. a walk with friends. There were consequences, (for those children who did not have a good assessment) such as isolation, cancellation of meetings with friends or family or change of structure. As he told me, he had heard of beatings and once of sexual acts. There was coercion to hard work and interruption of school attendance,” testified the witness.

Ms. Stratidaki told the court that after the first complaints, the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office was informed and at the same time an investigation was launched by the Ombudsman for the observance of the rights of children by the structures of Kivotos. Answering a related question from Edras, the witness said that all cases involving physical violence were immediately forwarded to the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.

President: Did you deal with solitary confinement as a “punitive measure”?

Witness: We put it as a question to the “Kivoto” and informed the Prosecutor’s Office. The most serious complaints and exposures occurred in September 2022.

In fact, the witness clarified that there were complaints about cases of children who were “punished” with long-term imprisonment or beatings, while she also referred to the reports on sexual acts: “On September 6, 2022, a former employee of the structure came to our offices, who told us that a former guest told her that another guest had confided in him that he had undergone sexual acts in Chios. He also told us that other children were beaten and then forced to kneel down to apologise.”

The social worker said that she received complaints about the prevention of visiting children from communicating with their parents, for which she pointed out that “the communication with the parents took place only at the headquarters of the structure and only during working hours. We found that communication was being systematically blocked.”

According to Ms. Stratidakis father Antonios was the one who decided which children could go to school and who not, while as she pointed out, citing what the children of “Kivotos” told her, there were former guests who were close to Father Antonio and acted as his “right hand”

One point that the witness emphasized in her testimony was the change of the children’s names: “Father Antonios changed the children’s names, even if they were Christian. We have never encountered this before. It is a special feature of the organization. It signaled a “dismissal” of their previous life. A symbolism. Symbolically that you are rebaptized, that’s how I interpret it” he said.

The trial continues.