A child who has spent the past eight years of his life almost exclusively at home, with the same people, his mother and grandparents. The case, which the authorities in Attendorn in the Sauerland have tracked down, leaves many stunned. How did this happen and why did no one notice anything?

How was the case discovered?

There have been signs for some time that something is amiss in the family. The girl’s mother had therefore tried in 2015 at the family court to get sole custody of the child. When she failed, she told authorities that she had moved to Italy with her daughter to live with relatives. As early as two years ago and again a year ago, there were indications that the mother and daughter were by no means living in Italy, but were still staying in Attendorn. But the grandparents denied this when the youth welfare office visited them, but also refused entry to the house.

In the summer of this year, a couple close to the family looked for them in Italy and couldn’t find them. The German authorities then submitted a request for administrative assistance to their Italian colleagues. On September 12, information came that the mother and daughter had never lived in Italy. On September 23, the family court ordered the youth welfare office to act as supplementary carer, shortly afterwards the police and youth welfare office searched the grandparents’ house and found the child. The father finally made the case public last Saturday.

What do the mother and grandparents say?

They have so far refused to comment on what happened. Therefore, the motive for the isolation of the child is still largely in the dark. It is assumed that the mother wanted to avoid contact with the father, who lived separately from the two. The public prosecutor’s office in Siegen says it is still at the beginning of the investigation. The three relatives are being investigated for deprivation of liberty and mistreatment of those under protection. Witnesses are also being questioned.

Did the father know about what was going on?

According to the public prosecutor, there is currently no suspicion against the father of the child. The public prosecutor assumes that he was sure that the mother and child were in Italy. However, further investigations are to be carried out here as well.

What do you know about the child’s circumstances?

Authorities have found no evidence that the girl was physically abused. Also it was well fed. All in all, the child is doing well “according to the circumstances,” senior public prosecutor Patrick Baron von Grotthuss told WDR. Nevertheless, his living conditions in recent years have certainly been depressing. It was completely sealed off from the outside world. According to the FAZ, the child told the doctors that it had never seen a meadow or a forest or sat in a car before. The public prosecutor assumes that the mother and grandparents did not allow the girl to “participate in life” for almost seven years. It has never attended a day care center or school and does not know how to play with other children.

How is the girl now?

The eight-year-old has been with a foster family since she was taken into care. The responsible department head of the youth welfare office in Olpe, Michael Färber, reported in the ntv interview that the child received all the support there and also went through medical examinations. So far there are “no major abnormalities”. “It can read, write and do arithmetic, although it has been proven that it has not attended kindergarten or school,” said Färber. She could only have learned all this from her mother or grandparents. Climbing stairs, on the other hand, is still unusual.

How did the child react to being freed?

According to the FAZ, the girl was overwhelmed and relieved when she was able to leave her grandparents’ house for the first time. “She took it positively,” said Farber of the moment. In her life she has never seen many things that other people take for granted. “It gave her a whole new perspective.”

What did this lockdown do to the child?

“The world is now upside down for the child. It will feel like it’s on another planet,” says Nicole Vergin from the NRW Child Protection Association. The girl’s basic needs and basic children’s rights to education, play or social contacts were disregarded. This will have an impact on mental, psychological and motor development.

What’s next?

The mother and grandparents are currently not allowed to have any contact with the eight-year-old. But there are considerations as to how to proceed in the matter. The focus is on the question: “What does the child want?” says Farber. The aim is to carefully accompany the child on its way to a normal life. It is not about the child now quickly catching up on deficits, but first and foremost it has to be mentally stabilized, emphasized social pedagogue Sabine Müller-Kolodziej from the Child Protection Association.

Will the case have consequences with the responsible authorities?

The district of Olpe announced on Sunday that all “procedural processes in-house” in connection with the case, including the work of the youth welfare office, were being examined. The public prosecutor wants to clarify why something didn’t happen earlier, according to Grotthuss. At the center of the considerations is the question of why the Italian authorities were not asked earlier, even though the father was unable to exercise his custody rights.

It is also unclear why there was no way to take a closer look at the previous information. The head of the youth welfare office, Farber, had said that the two anonymous tips were followed up immediately. However, there was no “conclusive evidence or concrete evidence” that the girl was staying in her grandparents’ house. You therefore had no legal opportunity to enter the house – that was also the assessment of the police at the time. “We also have to examine whether the youth welfare office did everything necessary to uncover the case,” explained senior public prosecutor Grotthuss. “Inevitably, the question arises as to whether the child could not have been found earlier.” In the village, you usually know quickly who is going in and out of the neighbours’. It was amazing that the child had not been seen for so many years – and at the same time an indication that the accused had acted “very secretly and very carefully”.

(This article was first published on Tuesday, November 08, 2022.)