Yesterday evening, tens of thousands of Hungarians marched in Budapest calling on the government of Viktor Orban to resign over a recently emerged scandal about child abuse in the state-run Szőlő Street Juvenile Detention Centre. At least dozens of children, potentially hundreds of children have suffered abuse at the hands of their teachers and detention officers which includes serious violent abuse and also sexual abuse in some cases. Footage of the abuse that was published online caused outrage in the country with many calling for prompt action and investigations.
Some staff members accused of committing the abuse have also been arrested. The former director of the juvenile detention centre, Péter Pál Juhász is suspected of having run a sex-trafficking and prostitution ring with detained children. Opposition Leader Péter Magyar accused the government of systematic failures and demanded Prime Minister Orban to resign.
The Viktor Orban government has long preached about family values and the importance of protecting children, making the accusations of cover-up, even more damaging to the government. In 2024, President Katalin Novák (an Orbán ally) resigned after causing a scandal for pardoning Endre Kónya. Kónya was the former deputy director of a state-run children’s home in Bicske and was convicted and sentenced to over three years in prison for helping cover up sexual abuses committed by the home’s director.
Viktor Orban is facing increasing opposition in Hungary with his Opposition rival polling higher than him.
Newsroom
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