Andy Lewis recently wrote about a Steiner school related abuse case under investigation in Scotland. I’ve written about similar cases in the past. Now another one has surfaced in Germany. According to Süddeutsche Zeitung:
Ein 57 Jahre alter Lehrer soll sich laut Staatsanwaltschaft Augsburg an mindestens zwei minderjährigen Schülern der Schule vergangen haben. Die Polizei spricht sogar von sechs Jungen, die heute im Alter von zwölf bis 14 Jahre alt sein sollen. Möglicherweise sind es noch mehr. In der Schule bekannt war seit Sommer dieses Jahres zumindest ein Fall.
I don’t actually have anything to say; everything has been said so many times before. I thought I should report about it though. These things happen, also in ‘paradise’. Whether the risks are any higher in waldorf schools, I do not know. There is a tendency to ignore things that go wrong and children who don’t appear to be well, because the desire to believe in the goodness of waldorf is so strong. There’s a loyalty in these schools, a loyalty which sometimes means that the individual is — often thoughtlessly, I presume — sacrificed for the collective ‘good’ which takes precedence over other concerns. Teachers are loyal to each other, because they share a worldview and a community, teachers and families are very loyal to the schools, for similar and related reasons. I’m not sure how important these factors are as risk factors. I assume they aren’t negligible. Whatever happened in this new case, I do not know. There’s no way for any schools to protect themselves a hundred percent against the acts of such perpetrators; it is only possible to minimize the risk.
Further articles:
http://www.tz-online.de/aktuelles/muenchen/sex-monster-lockte-buben-seine-dorfidylle-2635044.html
Hi Alicia,
From experience in the UK recently, I reckon early recourse to social media may be much less reliable than effective procedures, transparency, links with key agencies and engagement with partnerships locally. Such external arrangements can include the police and may promote the vitally important aims of safeguarding – including training, compliance, governance, scrutiny and records. Mundane, yes. In my view essential. Practical advice and support should be freely available locally. Times have changed. Without specific knowledge of local situations, I am wary of any detailed comment and general speculation. How can this help? What is its purpose?
You do put words together into sentences and sentences into passages. If they mean anything, is beyond my capacity to grasp.
It’s sometimes like reading stuff that comes out of one of these automated, random text generators.
As for ‘local situations’ I can inform you that sexual abuse of children is sort of frowned upon in Germany in the same way it is in Britain; it’s sort of illegal in Germany too. Presumably it’s even frowned upon by most anthroposophists, once they’ve removed their blinds and realized it can happen in waldorf schools.
… not that some don’t know, and remain silent about it, to save a waldorf school’s and the movement’s face, anything to avoid negative attention. I’ve come across some truly horrifying accounts.
Alicia,
I’m reading through all 5 news accounts you have linked to and will write a summary of all the relevant information with a sentence or two translated. Here is the translation of the excerpt you quoted above.
According to the district attorney in Augsburg, a 57 year old male teacher is alleged to have sexually molested at least two underage boys at the school. In fact, the police allege as many as six boys, now between the ages of 12 and 14, are victims. Perhaps there are more. There was at least one case known since this summer.
Hi Alicia,
Thanks. Agreed. I was focusing upon what may be done. Is that a problem?
David
Tom, thanks.
David, I’m not sure it’s a ‘problem’, exactly, but it sure wasn’t clear from what you wrote.
One thing that is pretty clear to me, though, when it comes to what can and must be done (regardless of cases like these, about which we know too few details, and, besides, the present case is already a matter for police): putting the well-being of individual children before loyalty (to the school and movement) and ideology.
Hej!
Tack för en otroligt intressant och VIKTIG blogg.
Jag är frilansjournalist och skriver för tillfället om Waldorf.
Skulle vara intressant att komma i kontakt med dig, för att utbyta tankar och kunskap.
Tack!
Du får gärna maila mig (zzzooey@gmail.com). Jag har inte så där jättemycket tid över för waldorf (egentligen… försöker minska på detta engagemang…) och ställer i allmänhet inte upp som ‘waldorfkritiker’ i media… bara så att jag har sagt det redan nu. Men det är nog inget hinder, så hör gärna av dig ändå!
A reblogué ceci sur Blog de Grégoire Perra and commented:
Add your thoughts here… (optional)
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/missbrauchsvorwuerfe-an-waldorfschule-es-gab-keine-anhaltspunkte-1.1537292
‘SZ: Anfang der Woche wurde ein ehemaliger Schüler der Odenwaldschule mit dem Geschwister-Scholl-Preis ausgezeichnet. Für seinen Mut, als Betroffener über den Missbrauch an der reformpädagogischen Einrichtung zu berichten. Er beklagt vor allem das Schweigen, das er als Opfer erlebte. War Schweigen eine Antwort auch an Ihrer Schule?
‘Ingo Christians: Nein, nie. Als wir am 24. Juli das erste Mal von den erschütternden Vorwürfen hörten, haben wir uns sofort entschieden, das offen und transparent zu kommunizieren. Das war und ist für uns der einzige Weg, mit dem Verdacht umzugehen. Der Schutz der Kinder hat immer Vorrang.’
That’s fantastic, if it is true. A waldorf school whose first inclination is not to try to silence things down or invent lies and excuses and cover-ups. Or generally: to do anything to make sure accusations of this nature don’t reach the other parents, the press or even the police.