Hungary’s child protection system must undergo a thorough review, Social and Family Affairs Minister Vilmos Kátai-Németh said in Szeged on Thursday evening following consultations with the leadership of the Szent Ágota Child Protection Service.
The minister, accompanied by State Secretary for Child Rights and Child Protection Szilvia Gyurkó, held nearly two hours of talks with the organization, which provides care for around 5,500 children across 13 Hungarian counties.
Speaking after the meeting, Kátai-Németh said conclusions must be drawn once the review process is completed. He described child protection as an extremely sensitive issue and urged everyone discussing the topic to prioritize the interests and wellbeing of children.
Szent Ágota Director-General János Kothencz said the discussions with the minister had been constructive and honest. In addition to the broader state of the child protection system, participants also addressed an ongoing police investigation linked to alleged incidents at an institution in Csongrád-Csanád County.
Kothencz stressed that the organization has always treated allegations involving child abuse with the utmost seriousness and would continue to do so in the future.
He said the organization now needs to reconsider the methodology used to investigate child abuse cases and improve the system’s sensitivity to such issues. According to Kothencz, this is also a matter of organizational culture.
He added that when taking over responsibilities previously managed by the state, the organization often encounters outdated institutional attitudes that must gradually be changed in the interest of children.
Kothencz emphasized that investigations into abuse cases should avoid victim-blaming and instead place children’s dignity above all else. ‘Child-centred child protection is a question of humanity,’ he said.
He also argued that authorities should not focus solely on current cases, but should revisit older incidents as well and consider methodological reforms to ensure more effective investigations in the future.
Hungarian police announced earlier on Thursday that five people had been questioned as suspects over alleged sexual abuse involving children and other crimes, with one suspect taken into custody.
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