Although he was convicted of child abuse in 2010, a certified outdoor guide not only organized holiday camps for children until recently, but also worked as a climbing instructor for eight to twelve year olds in the Alpine Club. His criminal record has since been discharged.
According to the current state of knowledge, there have been no attacks or suspected cases, says Nicole Slupetzky, federal youth leader and vice-president of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV). The man volunteered for a total of four outdoor courses for a section, the last in May. Media reports only revealed his past life last week. The collaboration has ended.
The man in question had been investigated again last year for abuse, but the public prosecutor’s office dropped the case for reasons of evidence. Officially, he is therefore still considered blameless.
According to the company register, the man has had a sole proprietorship for sports and leisure lessons since 2019 and offered holiday camps for children in eastern Austria for the summer months.
The places were fully booked, there were only waiting lists for the five-day camps. In the meantime, however, all the information about the camps that was still online on Monday has disappeared from the man’s website. According to Slupetzky, the ÖAV developed a prevention concept years ago: “We try everything to prevent attacks on children in particular.” However, it is impossible for the ÖAV, as a voluntary association with 11,000 volunteer employees, to check every single employee for safety – especially since in this specific case the man’s previous conviction would not have appeared in the criminal record.
“law needs to be changed”
“You should therefore check whether volunteers in child and youth work have an impeccable past, in terms of victim protection, not to us clubs,” says the ÖAV Vice President. Rather, it is the legislature’s duty. “Basically, a conviction in the area of abuse should result in a person no longer being allowed to work in child and youth work.”
Source: Nachrichten
