Six employees of a care facility for people with severe intellectual disabilities in Bodegraven, South Holland, have been fired for humiliating their clients and filming it. Last week, it was announced that the six had been suspended.
The Christian care group Sirjon announced on Wednesday that it has fired the six employees. According to the care group, they heard the six employees. Based on this, the care organization has “established urgent reasons for dismissal”. Sirjon is also filing a report.
“Firing employees is a difficult decision,” says chairman Jan van Ginkel. “From our Christian perspective, we believe in grace and forgiveness. At the same time, this situation requires justice for those who are vulnerable. Forgiveness does not exclude justice. In this case, it means setting clear boundaries and taking responsibility. After the investigation and everything that has happened, this is the only right step.”
The humiliating images were made in a group at the De Akker care facility and were at least shared in a closed group on Snapchat. It is not known exactly what can be seen in the images, but Van Ginkel called the images “disrespectful and humiliating” last week. According to Sirjon, it does not involve sexual acts.
The care group announced on Wednesday that it had received signals that the Snapchat group had existed since 2019. Also, the size of that group was slightly larger than initially thought. Furthermore, Sirjon suspects that the images have been shared on a limited scale outside of that private Snapchat group.
It is unknown how many clients have been victimized by the videos. The residents of the residential group have a severe intellectual disability and have the mental capacity of a child from zero to three years old. Some residents also have a form of autism. They need physical care and guidance.