Former Employees of Galanta Centre Confirm Mistreatment of Children
Bratislava, September 13 (TASR) – Almost all therapists at the Clean Day resocialisation centre in Galanta (Trnava region) had sex with the children in the centre’s care, said OLaNO-NOVA MP Daniel Lipsic at a press conference on Tuesday.
Lipsic said that this information was provided to him by a former employee of the centre. More and more former employees would like to testify. Lipsic is representing a girl called Natalia who was allegedly abused by one of the therapists. The centre’s director will have a lot to explain, said Lipsic.
“I’ve received further information from former employees and clients that don’t want to be highlighted in the media but want to testify,” said Lipsic. The aforementioned former employee wrote in a letter that a particular boy was being mistreated as well. She heard slaps, the breaking of an ice hockey stick on the boy’s legs. She saw him with bruises on his chest as well. She also came upon a therapist who was giving some sort of pill to one of the residents.
The former employee described the assistant therapist who allegedly had sex with under-age Natalia as an arrogant fool that had sexual relations with at least two girls that confided in her. “He knew well that they were below the age of consent; he knew what he was doing. It was hell for children there [at the centre]. Everyone around me had sexual relations with clients apart from two colleagues,” Lipsic cited the former employee as saying.
Lipsic noted that Natalia filed a criminal complaint, but the prosecution was suspended because the suspect claimed that he didn’t know that the girl was 14 years old at that time. Natalia said that the suspect did know her age because he had access to her file, and she also stated her age during a mandatory initial round of introductions. Lipsic said that the suspect confirmed this at first, but then tried to amend his testimony by saying that intercourse was performed not in 2014, but in 2015, when she was already 15 [the age of consent in Slovakia – ed.note].
“Without any doubt, he’s committed the crime of sexual abuse according to paragraph 202 of the Criminal Code,” stressed Lipsic, referring to the abusive therapist.
The OLaNO-NOVA MP is convinced that Clean Day director Peter Tomanek has much to explain. Lipsic suspects Tomanek of persuading the suspect to change his testimony. Another problem is that Tomanek didn’t report the crime.
Lipsic rejected arguments that the allegedly abused girls came to the resocialisation centre with multiple sexual experiences. “‘They’re under-age prostitutes addicted to drugs, and that’s why they can do with them what they want’. It is they [representatives of the centre] who said that. It makes me want to throw up. What kind of argument is it that it’s okay to abuse them because they were promiscuous in the past,” emphasised Lipsic.
Any parent can stumble when raising children, said Lipsic. These facilities are there in order for the state to help them. “This is what resocialisation centres are for – to help them and not to abuse and bully them,” stressed Lipsic.
The MP also has information that Tomanek’s wife was under suspicion of multiple financial machinations when she worked for a ministers’ commission on drug addiction. “It was supposed to be a crime of subsidy fraud and the abuse of the powers of a public official. If it’s confirmed, the motive for covering up cases of sexual abuse of girls addicted to drugs is obvious,” said Lipsic.
