941. Solbacka Läroverk

Solbacka Läroverk was a boarding school foundeed in 1901 which closed in 1973.

For the first number of decades it was for boys only but in the late 1940’s, girls were allowed to enter. It closed due failing enrollment.

Later the daily life and testimonies of abuse were revealed. The book “Ondskan” by Jan Guillou is written based on his experiences at Solbacka.

It could not have been fun to be there as a student.

Sources:

• Solbacka läroverk (Wikipedia – in Swedish language)
• Kostskoler udvikler sociale krøblinge (Dagbladet Informantion – in Danish language)
• ‘Close all boarding schools!’ (Nordstjernen)

922. Brothers Home welfare centre

Brothers Home welfare centre was a center for homeless boys located in Busan, South Korea. It was in operation from 1976 to 1987. The owner Park In-geun was sentenced for embezzlement after a difficult investigation where strong political powers tied to the owner tried to prevent the investigation.

The idea was to get children off the streets so the country looked more fine because the Olympic Games should be held there in 1988.

Survivors of the facility speak of beatings, force labor, illegal imprisonment and the deaths of some of children detained at the facility.

It could not have been fun to be there as a child.

Sources:

• South Korea’s shame: Child victims of Brothers Home abuse still searching for justice (CNN)
• Secrets of South Korea’s house of horrors hidden in Australia (Aljazeera)
• Surviving South Korea’s House of Horrors (Wqidian)
• Surviving South Korea’s House of Horrors (Opera News)

921. St. Joseph’s Orphanage

 St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington, Vermont opened around 1850 and was in operation until 1974 where it closed down. Part of its existence it was operated by the Vermont Catholic Charities.

A recent investigation uncovered that abuse had taken place. Some survivors of the facility claims that children were murdered at the facility but the investigation found no reason to bring charges against anyone – perhaps too much time has passed and there would be none to charge because they have died in the years since the facility closed.

It is safe to say that it could not have been fun to be there as a child.

Sources:

• We Saw Nuns Kill Children: The Ghosts of St. Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage (Buzzfeed News)
• St. Joseph’s Orphanage investigation finds no crimes, but abuse occurred (Burlington Free Press)
• Former residents of St. Joseph’s Orphanage recount horrific abuse, want day in court (VT Digger)
• St. Joseph’s Orphanage abuse survivors want diocese to pay for therapy (WAX 3 News)

918. Godthaab

Godthaab was a children orphanages located in the town of Frederiksberg in Denmark. It opened in 1876 and closed in 1984. Part of the orphanage was operated with use of corporal punishment. The care was based on so-called Christian values. The boys had to keep their hands over the bed sheets so they did not “abuse themselves”. Bedwetting resulted in forced labor in the cellar.

Some of the children were lured into participation in medical trials financed by CIA in the United States. The aim of these medical trials were to investigate schizophrenia and were published in secrecy at the University of Copenhagen by doctor Fini Schulsinger. The involvement of the children in these trials were a possible violation of the Nürnberg Code of 1947 as the children were not old enough to grant consent and the parents of the children were not informed.

It could not have been fun to be there as a child.

Sources:

• Danny fik proppet hovedet i toilettet på børnehjem – nu kræver han erstatning (TV2 Lorry – In Danish language)
• Bøghs historiske hjørne: Hård disciplin på det gamle børnehjem – Frederiksberg Friskoles bygning på Dronningensvej 3 (Frederiksberg Liv – in Danish Language)
• Nuremberg Code (Wikipedia)
• Danske børnehjemsbørn brugt i hemmelig undersøgelse støttet af CIA (Danmarks Radio – In Danish Language)

915. Gravenshoved Kostskole

Gravenshoved Kostskole was a boarding school for children in need. It was located in the South of Jutland. It opened in 1964 and closed in 1992. Despite the stay being paid for and the children referred from various departments of social services in Denmark, the supervision of the facility and welfare of the children during their stay were not monitored by employees of the department who saw to that the children were sent to the school.

As result the children suffered from various forms of abuse subjected on them from the hands of the employees. The department of social services learned about the abuse in 2009 but properly out of concern of the careers of the employees who neglected their duties, the reportings were not handed over to the police before newspapers started to investigate the closed boarding school in 2021.

Only almost two decades after the school closed the police started their investigation which is still ongoing. It could not have been fun to be there as a child.

Sources:

• Kommune bekræfter: Fik henvendelse om overgreb for over tolv år siden – først nu er sagerne politianmeldt (BT – in Danish language)
• Politi rykker ind i sag om Gravenshoved Kostskole (BT – in Danish language)
• 31 tidligere elever klager over kostskole: ‘Vi skulle være glade, om så det skulle tæskes ind i os’ (Danmarks Radio – in Danish language)
• Kommune går til politiet: Angst og overgreb var hverdag for elever på kostskole (Nordjyske – in Danish language)

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Update 2023

A report concluded that there could be basis for criminal charges if they can manage to put them together before they come too old to conduct a trial according to Danish law. Also human rights violations were judged to have taken place at the school.

• Både straffelov og menneskerettigheder brudt, konkluderer rapport: Det siger kommunen (TV2 Nord – in Danish language)

913. Unnamed boarding school in Fiji

Various articles speak of corporal punishment and stripping students naked and rubbing them with chillies in their mouth and private parts.

Also on a named boarding schools there were incidents with runaways and bullying.

It seems that the island country has lost control with their educational sector. If you know the name of the boarding school where the students underwent inhume treatment by the assistant principal, please note it in the comments below.

It does not sound like a good environment to receive teaching in for a teenager.

Sources:

• Human Rights Commission investigates corporal punishment case at a boarding school (Fiji Village)
• Boarding school assault: PM sickened and outraged while the Education Ministry stresses zero-tolerance on violence in school (Fiji Village)
• Students of a boarding school reported missing (FBC News)
• Fiji police investigate beating of child at boarding school (RNZ News)

908. Loretto School

Founded in 1827 over the recent years the school has been known in the public for its past consisting with incidents of both bullying and sexual abuse. The present school management has apologized for past managements failures to protect students.

Past managements not only failed to protect the students but also provided good job references to teachers who had committed incident act which must be regarded as a double failure.

Sources:

• School apologises for giving good job reference to sexual predator teacher (The Argus)
• NEIL MACKAY’S BIG READ: Boarding school survivors reveal their horrific stories of childhood abuse in ‘MeToo’ moment (The Herald)
• ‘It is deeply troubling. I’m not sure I’ve fully processed it’ – Loretto School head tells child abuse inquiry (Edinburgh News)
• Beatings, bullying and paedophile teachers are ‘a potion for private schoolkids of the British elite’ (The Daily Record)

898. Northwoods Academy

Northwoods Academy is the Bibb County School District’s early childhood learning center opened in 2009. It services families with special-need children and the website of the school speaks about about a good environment for the children.

However an article from 2016 paints another picture about what is going on at the school. Violence against the students. It is not in line with what the website promises.

It cannot be fun to be there as a special-need student.

Sources:

• Teacher struck special-needs students more than once, police say (The Telegraph)
• BREAKING NEWS: Northwoods Academy Teacher Allegedly Involved In Physical Abuse of a 4 Year Old Special Needs Student (Peachy Politics)

892. Fulton

Fulton is a three-masted schooner built in 1914 and also the name of a behavior modification program established in 1970 by Mogens Frohn Nielsen. The purpose was to change the behavior of at-risk teenage boys by letting them work at sea.

Unfortunately corporal punishment was used and this had been outlawed some years before leading the the firing of Nielsen in 1987. The program was slightly changed and continued under new management until it went bankrupted in 2013. Today the ship is still sailing run by another foundation.

It could not have been fun to be there as a teenager exposed to beatings and other forms of corporal punishment.

Sources:

• Drengen, der altid var alene (Avisen.dk – article in Danish language)
• Unge mennesker under 15 år vil være kriminelle (Superdebat.dk – text in Danish language)
• Postgaarden i forandring (Fyens Stiftstidende)

869. Clifton Boys’ Home

Clifton Boys’ Home located in Darliston, Westmoreland, Jamaica was mentioned in the media for the probe into use of corporal punishment which also resulted in suspension of two administrators.

At an earlier point in time, the house which housed the group home burned down. The group home was founded in 1958.

It cannot be fun to be there as a child if corporal punishment was used.

Sources:

• Child protection agency probing abuse reports at boys’ home (The Cleaner)
• CPFSA takes over management of Clifton Boys’ Home (Radio Jamaica News)