Two Dutch children, aged six and nine, have been found in northern Italy in dilapidated conditions at a run-down farm. They were still wearing diapers, could not talk, read, or write, and had no official documents. The children have since been taken into care.
The children, Rayan and Noha, were found by the military police in the village of Lauriano in the Turin region. Officers were there due to an evacuation order following flooding and discovered a severely neglected family situation.
According to Italian media, the children were not registered with the civil registry. They also had no birth certificate or identification and had never been to school or a doctor. The children were not registered with any agency.
The youth court in Turin has now ruled that the parents, a 54-year-old Dutch man and a 38-year-old Dutch woman, are unable to care for them. The children have been placed in Italian youth care.
Father speaks of ‘alternative education’
The father denies to the Italian newspaper La Stampa that there is any neglect. He speaks of an “alternative education” and says that the children only came to Italy two weeks ago. They would be following online education.
However, municipal data shows that the man has lived in the village for three years. The Italian authorities therefore assume that the children have been with him for some time despite his claims.
It is still unclear where in the Netherlands the family comes from and whether the children have previously lived in the Netherlands or Germany. The authorities are conducting further investigation.