Vilnius prosecutors are investigating suspected sexual abuse against asylum seekers in one of Lithuania’s migrant facilities. A psychologist employed by the Border Guard Service (VSAT), who formerly worked for the Lithuanian Red Cross, is suspected of repeatedly abusing vulnerable migrants.
Representatives of the Vilnius County Police and the Vilnius County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the investigation to LRT.lt.
The suspect was employed by the VSAT at the time when the victims contacted the police.
The VSAT administers migrant accommodation facilities in Pabradė, Medininkai, and Kybartai.
According to Kristina Mišinienė, head of the Centre for Combating Human Trafficking (KOPŽI) who is familiar with the situation, the victims claim they were abused both in their rooms and in the alleged perpetrator’s office.
“He told me that he could order migration authorities to send me back home, but he could also help me to stay, so I have to obey him,” according to one of the young victims whose testimony was shared with LRT.lt. “I was convinced that he was a very powerful border official, he was dressed that way, I don’t speak English, I couldn’t understand his position, I was afraid to resist him, he promised to sort out my documents ‘properly’.”
Suspected perpetrator suspended
Luka Lesauskaitė, spokeswoman for the Lithuanian Red Cross, says that at the time of the alleged abuses, the suspected perpetrator was no longer working for the organisation.
“He is a former employee of the Red Cross, and to our knowledge, he is not currently working for the VSAT either. [...] He was working for the VSAT when we received the complaint,” Lesauskaitė said.
According to her, the suspect had been working as a psychologist in mobile Red Cross teams for about half a year.
According to the VSAT, the suspect had been working for the service for about two weeks, also as a psychologist.
“The man was working under an employment contract at the time. [...] He was dismissed on the same day, after possible facts came to light, which are now being verified in the course of the pre-trial investigation,” said VSAT spokesman Giedrius Mišutis, who stressed that the VSAT was facing a shortage of psychologists.
Calls for a responsible approach
Mišinienė, of the Centre for Combating Human Trafficking, insists that the situation raises concerns about Lithuania’s asylum policy and its enforcement.
“The dynamics in a closed facility, where the people cannot access help from outside, ask for assistance, or withdraw from a situation that threatens them, creates the conditions for them to fall victims to those with power and bad intentions. Sexual violence against people who are locked up, who cannot defend themselves, who do not understand our language or our laws, is the most disgusting form of this so-called managed crisis,” she told LRT.lt
According to Mišinienė, the responsibility should also fall on the leadership of the VSAT, which failed to properly supervise one of its employees. Moreover, this cast doubts on the quality of psychological counseling that people in migrant facilities are receiving, she noted.
Asked whether the VSAT had taken measures to prevent similar abuse, its spokesman Mišutis said this was an exceptional case.
“Every case is investigated, I don’t remember any similar case arising at all. But if there is misconduct, […] we hold briefings, training, various measures, interviews. [...] This is an isolated case, but we took it seriously. On the other hand, there must be the results of the pre-trial investigation, whether or not the facts [of the crime] are confirmed,” he said.
Asked what kind of assistance or protection the victims received, Mišutis said that they were moved to separate premises in the camp.
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