Minister condemns alleged abuse at children’s socialisation centre

Lithuania’s Minister of Social Security and Labour, Inga Ruginienė, has stated that there can be no justification for sexual violence, following reports of alleged abuse at the Gruzdžiai Children’s Socialisation Centre in the Kėdainiai district, LRT reports.

“The events in the Kėdainiai district painfully remind us of what we must never forget for a single day: there is and can be no justification for sexual violence. None. Neither in institutions, nor in families, nor in communities. And especially not where we are meant to protect children,” Ruginienė wrote on Facebook on Thursday evening.

She emphasised that every child has the right to grow up in a safe environment and that zero tolerance for any form of violence must apply in all institutions working with children and young people—not just on paper or in declarations, but in daily practice.

The minister announced plans to discuss the issue of sexual violence with institutional leaders next week. She also stated that, together with relevant authorities, she will review additional measures to better protect minors from potential sexual abuse as early as Monday.

“We must act without delay, without waiting for new tragic cases,” Ruginienė said.

On Wednesday, LRT’s Panorama programme reported that an employee at the Gruzdžiai centre had been suspended from duty amid allegations of sexual abuse against a teenager. The father of a 14-year-old girl reported the suspected abuse to police. The Seimas Committee on Suicide and Violence Prevention visited the centre following the incident, and law enforcement has launched a pre-trial investigation.

Centre director Henrikas Gaidamavičius told LRT that support is being provided to the teenager, who may be released for a break. The Gruzdžiai Children’s Socialisation Centre is a state-run specialised institution for students with delinquent behaviour, subject to medium supervision or educational measures.