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Child Abuse Charges against Berlin Waldorf Facility

Peter Tiede, Tagesspiegel, translated By Tom Mellett

July 4, 2008


Child Abuse Suspected at a Waldorf School.

By Peter Tiede
July 4, 2008

Potsdam --- In a Brandenburg facility for the care of youth, children
from Berlin and Brandenburg are alleged to have been physically abused
and humiliated by the woman in charge of pedagogy. This is reported by
the RBB magazine "Cleartext."

Both the Ministry of Education and the public prosecutor's office
confirmed yesterday that they will pursue charges against the woman in
charge of the Waldorf facility called ÑAlte Zieglerei" [Old Brickyard]
or [Old Brick Factory] in R‰del (Potsdam Mittelmark = Potsdam Kreis
i.e. district or county).

The public prosecutor's office is making its determination in several
cases against the woman in charge of the Waldorf facility based on
suspicion of her abusing her "wards." In addition, investigators,
acting on suspicion of malfeasance, searched the facility on
Wednesday. 160 document files with financial records of the past five
years were seized.

According to the charges, children were said to have had their arms
pulled behind them, slung around their necks and held there in place
by the accused woman for a long period of time, all the while she
would also be pressing her knee into the smalls of their backs.

Among the institutionalized children living there, their
hands?/wrists? [Griff?] would have to display the name of their house
manager. †In addition, children are said to have been forced to stay
overnight, made to sleep on the stone floor in the cellar, alone and
without mattresses.

The Federation of Rudolf Steiner Schools in Berlin-Brandenburg
vehemently denied the charges. According to their present level of
knowledge, the Federation stated that "a conspiracy of disgruntled
former employees" was the source of these accusations. †[Yet] these
charges had been pursued for months without result. †††

++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Original German text follows

http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/Brandenburg-Waldorfschulen-Kindesmisshandlung;art128,2565021

Verdacht auf Kindesmisshandlung an Waldorfschule

Von Peter Tiede
4.7.2008

Potsdam --- In einer brandenburgischen Jugendhilfeeinrichtung sollen
Kinder aus Berlin und Brandenburg von der P‰dagogischen Leiterin
kˆrperlich misshandelt und erniedrigt worden sein. Das berichtet das
RBB-Magazin ÑKlartext".

Sowohl das Bildungsministerium als auch die Staatsanwaltschaft
best‰tigten gestern, dass sie den Vorw¸rfen gegen die
Waldorf-Einrichtung ÑAlte Ziegelei" in R‰del (Potsdam-Mittelmark)
nachgehen.

Die Staatsanwaltschaft ermittle wegen des Verdacht der Misshandlung
Schutzbefohlener in mehreren F‰llen gegen die Leiterin der
Waldorf-Einrichtung. Zudem h‰tten Ermittler die Einrichtung am
Mittwoch wegen des Verdachts der Untreue durchsucht. 160 Aktenordner
mit Finanzunterlagen der vergangenen f¸nf Jahre seien beschlagnahmt
worden.

Nach den Vorw¸rfen sollen Kindern ¸ber l‰ngere Zeit die Arme nach
hinten um den Hals geschlungen und dort von der beschuldigten
P‰dagogin zusammen gehalten worden sein, w‰hrend diese ihr Knie in den
R¸cken der Kinder gebohrt habe. Unter den Heimkindern habe der Griff
den Namen der Heimleiterin getragen. Auflerdem sollen Kinder gezwungen
worden sein, allein und ohne Matratze auf dem Steinfuflboden im Keller
zu ¸bernachten.

Der Verbandes der Waldorfschulen Berlin-Brandenburg bestritt die
Vorw¸rfe vehement. Nach gegenw‰rtigem Kenntnisstand des Verbandes
stecke ein ÑKomplott unzufriedener Ehemaliger" dahinter. Man gehe seit
Monaten ergebnislos den Vorw¸rfen nach.



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