Camping Site Abuse Scandal: 31 Children Exploited for Over a Decade

Massive Failure in Child Protection

Between 2007 and 2018, at least 31 children and adolescents were systematically abused at the "Am Fürstlichen Schloss" camping site near Lügde in Germany. Hans G., who operated a snack bar on the premises, organized the assaults—often involving multiple children at once.

Most troubling: the local social welfare authority repeatedly placed vulnerable children from disadvantaged backgrounds directly with the man, despite documented warnings.

Ignored Reports Year After Year

As early as 2008, the social welfare authority received the first report of abuse by Hans G. It was never properly investigated. In 2013, another report came in—this time it was simply ignored by Lippe district authorities.

Evidence suggests children were left unsupervised for hours, leaving them defenseless against their abusers. Only in December 2018 did the scandal become public.

Lippe district later admitted to "systematic failures in child protection." North Rhine-Westphalia's Justice Minister Peter Biesenbach called the circumstances "an obvious failure on the part of authorities."

Critical Evidence Vanishes

The scandal worsened when critical evidence disappeared. Hard drives containing approximately 1,400 child sexual abuse images vanished from police evidence storage in Lügde without a trace.