Migrant kids’s shelter investigated after claims youngsters had been restrained and remoted in a ‘red room’ | EUROtoday

A shelter for migrant kids in New York is going through allegations of abuse together with putting kids in restraints and isolating some youngsters in a so-called “red room,” in keeping with a report.

The alleged abuse occurred at Children’s Village, a shelter in Dobbs Ferry, 25 miles north of Manhattan, which has served unaccompanied migrant kids since 2004, CNN reported.

The kids had been allegedly overwhelmed by a “special unit” staff, with abuse happening out of the view of safety cameras. Some had been punished with restraints or remoted in a so-called “red room,” for prolonged durations of time, sources instructed CNN.

The shelter stopped housing kids in January and children had been moved elsewhere because of “significant child welfare concerns,” in keeping with paperwork seen by the publication.

Unaccompanied migrant kids are the duty of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which falls below the Health and Human Services Department. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon instructed CNN the company “takes all allegations of misconduct involving children in its care extremely seriously.”

“Upon receiving an allegation related to this facility, ORR acted immediately to transfer all unaccompanied children to other locations and referred the matter to the appropriate federal investigative authorities. The safety and well-being of children in ORR care is a top priority, and any credible concerns are addressed swiftly and thoroughly,” Nixon mentioned.

One teen on the shelter mentioned he spent 4 days alone in a “red room,” which had a purple gentle and no door. While remoted within the room, the boy didn’t bathe and was solely given bread to eat, in keeping with the report.

The teen additionally reported {that a} “special unit” would get entangled when fights broke out and restraints had been wanted. He mentioned he was thrown to the ground, hit and positioned in restraints almost two dozen occasions.

Sources instructed CNN that a number of teenagers within the shelter had comparable experiences with the “special unit.” While New York legal guidelines permit for “de-escalation rooms,” they don’t seem to be permitted as a type of punishment. Sources mentioned the shelter’s “red room” was not voluntary.

“It sounds like real abuse,” one mentioned. “If a kid was subjected to that in their home, not allowed to shower, kept in a confined space for that long, they’d be considered to be in an abusive situation.”

In an announcement to CNN, a spokesperson for the Children’s Village mentioned: “We have zero tolerance for any form of punishment.”

“All teens in our care deserve the highest level of care, support, and professionalism from every adult responsible for their well-being. Allegations of employee misconduct are deeply distressing, and if received, we make an immediate report to the authorities. We will take all necessary steps to ensure that any staff member found to have engaged in misconduct is addressed appropriately and without hesitation,” the spokesperson added.

The Independent has contacted the Children’s Village for remark.

The New York State Justice Center, which recieves studies of abuse and neglect declined to touch upon studies it obtained in regards to the shelter and didn’t present CNN with details about its investigation.