Two nuns who work at a care home have been charged by prosecutors after journalists documented widespread alleged abuse of disabled children at the facility located in Jordanów, a town of 5,000 in southern Poland.
The nuns allegedly tied children to beds, locked them in cages, and beat them with a mop on a daily basis, according to an investigation published today by news website Wirtualna Polska, which also showed images and videos allegedly from inside the care home.
💔💔💔 ‼️PODAJ DALEJ‼️ To nie Rosja, to nie Korea Północna. To Polska 2022. Zakonnice zamykają dzieci w klatce. Biją je. Wyzywają. To jest straszna historia, ale musicie ją poznać i podać dalej, żeby coś się zmieniło. Doceńcie naszą robotę z @DariuszFaron https://t.co/wTUpQ58dVM pic.twitter.com/VsHpFjRLam
— Szymon Jadczak (@SzJadczak) June 13, 2022
The website also reported that children were called names and humiliated. The nuns and some of the lay caregivers allegedly addressed pupils with such phrases as “your mother is a prostitute” and “if you are bad, you will get f***ing beaten up”.
The story came to light when former workers of the care home and parents of children who had stayed there decided to tell journalists about the abuse after one of the nuns allegedly beat a 13-year-old girl.
💔Ta dziewczynka każdego wieczoru była na wiele godzin przywiązywana do łóżka. Jak pies do budy. Tak wyglądała rzeczywistość w domu zakonnic pod Krakowem. https://t.co/wTUpQ58dVM pic.twitter.com/UOorjHl6qt
— Szymon Jadczak (@SzJadczak) June 13, 2022
A few hours after the original story was published, Wirtualna Polska reported that two of the nuns had heard charges in relation to information revealed in the investigation. The website said that prosecutors had been notified by the journalists about the situation last week.
The investigation had already been underway for several weeks, but following the website’s notification, the investigators accelerated their proceedings, according to Wirtualna Polska.
Pytam z @DariuszFaron zakonnicę Bronisławę G. dlaczego zamyka dzieci w klatce?
– Sąd nam pozwolił?
– Jaki sąd? – dopytuję.
– Jakiej klatce – odpowiada siostra.
A 20 godzin później już siedziała u prokuratura i słuchała zarzutów.https://t.co/6P9ZBN9r9s pic.twitter.com/6rlLmZIlV4— Szymon Jadczak (@SzJadczak) June 13, 2022
Sister Alberta – whose real name is Bożena K., with her surname hidden under Polish privacy law – has been charged with abusing at least one girl and violating the bodily integrity of another child. Wirtualna Polska reports that further charges may soon be added.
The director of the care home, Sister Bronisława, has also been charged with obstructing the investigation. Both nuns denied wrongdoing.
Preventive measures have temporarily been introduced against them. They are not allowed to contact the wronged parties, other caregivers and employees of the care home. They are also prohibited from entering the facility or coming within 50 metres of it. Sister Alberta additionally will not be allowed to work with children.
Poland’s commissioner for human rights, Marcin Wiącek, has issued a statement calling on the provincial authorities to take supervisory measures over the care home. A deputy justice minister, Michał Woś, told Wirtualna Polska that his department would be “carefully checking everything”.
Main image credit: Wirtualna Polska (screenshot)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
