A government investigation into the Bicske children’s home has found that far more children may have been abused by its former director than those who came forward or took part in the criminal proceedings, Child Rights and Child Protection State Secretary Szilvia Gyurkó said on Thursday.
Children did ask for help, investigation finds
Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Szilvia Gyurkó presented the findings of a government investigation into the past 20 years of the Kossuth Zsuzsa Children’s Home in Bicske, a case that became nationally notorious after a presidential pardon triggered a huge scandal.
Gyurkó urged the media to report responsibly on the abuse uncovered at the institution, warning against sensationalising the cases or downplaying the responsibility of those who committed or concealed crimes. She also stressed the need to respect the dignity of survivors and current and former staff.
The investigation examined the period between 2015 and 2025, while researchers also looked at earlier events where relevant. They reviewed more than 7,000 pages of documents and interviewed former and current employees.
Some records were lost when responsibility for the institution changed in 2013. The investigation has not ruled out the possibility that some documents may have disappeared deliberately.
According to Gyurkó, previous investigations failed to provide a comprehensive picture of what had happened at the home. The new investigation therefore also examined how institutional interests had repeatedly been placed above the needs and interests of children.
Warning signs had emerged years earlier
The investigation found that there had been warning signs concerning the former director, János Vásárhelyi, well before his crimes became the subject of a criminal investigation.
Gyurkó said Vásárhelyi may have been removed from a previous position in the 1990s because suspicions of sexual abuse had already emerged. Just three years after he was appointed to lead the Bicske institution, a report was also made suggesting that he had crossed boundaries with children there.
The state secretary stressed that it was not true that the children had failed to report problems or ask for help.
In 2011, several children reportedly disclosed sexual abuse to staff. A police investigation followed but was eventually closed after the children withdrew their statements. The current investigation says there may have been coercion or bribery behind those withdrawals.
Further inspections were carried out between 2013 and 2016, but they did not identify serious problems at the institution.
Gyurkó said the available evidence suggests that the number of victims may have been significantly higher than the number of people who came forward publicly or participated in the criminal proceedings.
2016 became a turning point
According to the investigation, 2016 could have marked a decisive turning point. A former resident died by suicide, after which a former resident filed a complaint. Further victims subsequently came forward.
Vásárhelyi was eventually convicted of sexual offences against children. He had run the institution since 1990 and was later found guilty of sexually abusing several underage boys over a number of years.
The case also implicated his deputy, Endre Kónya. He was convicted after attempting to persuade one of the abused children to withdraw testimony against Vásárhelyi.
The deputy director was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, but received a presidential pardon from then-President Katalin Novák in April 2023, shortly before Pope Francis’ visit to Hungary.
The pardon became the centre of a political scandal in early 2024. Novák resigned as president, while former Justice Minister Judit Varga withdrew from public life after having countersigned the pardon. The scandal also led to the emergence of now-Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
Government sets up HUF 1 billion compensation fund
Gyurkó announced that the government would establish a HUF 1 billion (EUR 2.7 million) Child Protection Compensation Fund for victims.
Those who spent at least one day in a child protection institution after Hungary’s 1997 child protection law came into force will be eligible to apply. The scheme is intended to provide more than financial compensation, with legal, psychological and housing assistance also available.
An advisory board will monitor the operation of the fund. Gyurkó said the aim was to ensure that survivors do not remain without support and encouraged those affected by abuse to seek help.
Péter Magyar: Responsibility must be established
Prime Minister Péter Magyar thanked the experts involved in the investigation and, in particular, the young people who had the courage to speak about what happened to them. He said their actions had helped protect other children and argued that the case demonstrated the “moral bankruptcy” of the previous political system.
Magyar also questioned how the director could have operated for decades without those around him, including officials within the relevant ministries, becoming aware of what was happening.
He called for those responsible to be identified and said a large number of files relating to the Bicske case had disappeared, including some after the change of government. Although their contents are unknown, their number is known, he said.
Magyar placed personal responsibility for what happened on former Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, former State Secretary for Social Affairs Attila Fülöp and, ultimately, former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Bicske case reignites debate over Hungary’s child protection system
The investigation comes just weeks after the government published a report on the state of child protection in Hungary.
That report warned that the system was close to collapse.
It found that around 130,000 children — roughly 8% of all children living in Hungary — are considered at risk because of abuse, neglect, substance use or problems linked to poverty.
Around 23,000 young people are currently being raised in state care, while institutions are struggling with overcrowding, staff shortages and deteriorating infrastructure.
When the report was presented in September, Magyar announced HUF 9.5 billion (EUR 26 million) in immediate funding to address the most urgent problems facing the child protection system.
