The conditions of the Middle Ages are described in the conclusion of the Ombudsman on the “Ark of Peace”. The drafting of the report was completed at the end of February, and only on Monday was it sent to the responsible Deputy Minister of Welfare and Social Solidarity Domna Mihaylid. The 24-page report describes in black the mode of operation of the organization’s structures and the methods of “education” applied to them. The punishments, which included even interruption of training, forced overtime and in adverse conditions, beatings and isolation, were recorded by the Ombudsman in a report signed by the head Andreas Pottakis and the Ombudsman’s assistant Theonis Koufonicolakos.

With regard to Father Antonio, who is currently facing prosecution for neglecting two minors, Counsel believes that Kivotos’ operating model was based on his judgments and opinions about the education and treatment of children and did not allow for criticism or interrogation. . “The prestige and widespread public recognition that surrounded its public image made the Ark of Peace virtually beyond criticism or scrutiny by the competent authorities of the state,” the report says.

The Ombudsman’s investigation began following reports he received between May and September 2022 about what goes on behind the closed doors of World Ark structures. Complaints about anti-pedagogical or even offensive behavior were checked, and he passed on to the prosecutor’s office information about sexual harassment of guests in the building, which came to his attention during the investigation. These reports became the starting point of the prosecutor’s investigation, which culminated in the initiation of criminal cases on April 7 against Father Antonio, on the one hand, for negligence in relation to minors, and on the other hand, against former employees of the structure for ill-treatment of boys and girls placed in “Kivoto “”.

“Grade”

With regard to the treatment of minors by the management of the structure, the Ombudsman collected testimonies from former guests and employees who said that the children received were subjected to an assessment system. If they received a positive assessment, they received privileges, such as the right to go out with friends. Otherwise, there were repercussions that included “emotionally painful punishments” such as canceling a scheduled family reunion or even confinement to solitary confinement, which could last up to several weeks. Suspension from school was also used as a punitive measure, and in one case, compulsory attendance at secondary school was permanently suspended for a boy who had been forced to work in a warehouse in the basement of the Kivotos branch in Kolonos.

“The prestige that surrounded his (Father António’s) public image made The Ark beyond scrutiny or scrutiny by government agencies,” the report says.

As the protagonists of the incidents of physical violence within the structure, which allegedly took place between 2014 and 2022 and which were recorded by the Advocate, three Kivotos employees, close associates of Father Antóniou, are described. The applicants “unanimously expressed their belief that Father Antonios was fully aware of this practice, given that his associates in question were persons in whom he had full confidence, while some alleged that they were trying to inform him reported incidents of violence against minors, but he refused to tell them. speak”.

Observations

The pages of the find also indicate that the persons responsible for the structure, in particular the elder Stamatia Georgantis, stored the children’s access codes on social networks and exercised control over their contacts and communications, while the regular tactics of the Structure was that the meetings of children with relatives were subject to control, and their telephone conversations were tapped for exactly the same reason.

The employees of an independent body collected testimonies, according to which, under the responsibility and initiative of the heads of the structure, attendance at the gymnasium was prevented or even interrupted by several children, especially boys, in cases where the children themselves were categorically against expressing a desire to continue their studies at school. Instead, the children were forced to do heavy farming and other work inside the building under the pretense of participating in vocational training programs that lacked any certification.

Restrictions

In the same vein, Counsel finds that the Kivotos officials did not strengthen or even prevent children from contacting parents or other relatives, even brothers and sisters, and underage boys and girls were not in any way prepared for the possibility of adoption – adoption . Finally, the conclusion pages describe severe restrictions on children’s social life and participation—particularly girls—in recreational activities outside the structure. A girl living in a building in Piraeus said that she was only allowed to leave the building twice a month and only if her housework was deemed satisfactory, while a former resident of the Kivotos complex in Konitsa said that any unaccompanied movement is prohibited. teenage girls.