Apology to children’s home abuse victims

Victims of abuse at a former reform home and school in canton Thurgau have received an apology and an offer of compensation after an independent report revealed what they had suffered at the hands of priests and nuns. (SRF Schweiz Aktuell / swissinfo.ch)

Between 1879 and 1975, the St Iddazell institution at Fischingen Priory was home to 6,500 boys and girls of all ages, some of whom had behavioural problems. It was owned by a private Catholic association and run by priests and nuns. Teachers also came from the Engelberg monastery.

Children were punished with belts and sticks, forced to kneel down for hours on end, had their heads shaved, were deprived of food and shut in a dark closet. Some were also subjected to sexual abuse. The perpetrators were monks, a few nuns, a visitor to the home and a gardener. Most of the victims were boys.

The details were released in a 170-page report from the advisory body for regional history, a spin-off from Zurich University. The team has been interviewing former residents and teachers at the home. The inquiry was launched after a former resident accused a priest still living at the priory of abuse. The investigation also shed light on the misconduct of other priests and nuns, now deceased.

At a news conference earlier this week, representatives from Engelberg monastery and the Catholic association that runs the new home at the priory publicly apologised and agreed to pay CHF250,000 ($285,000) into a compensation fund for victims. The Thurgau government said it regretted its own lack of supervision over the home.