The director of the Ateca youth center in Zaragoza and four staff members were arrested yesterday around 2:00 PM on suspicion of causing injuries, torturing, harming moral integrity, sexual assault, corruption of minors, and belonging to a criminal group. These alleged offenses were directed at minors housed in the facility, according to the Guardia Civil report released this Friday.
As El Periódico previously reported, there were prior complaints from the relatives of a minor resident, a fact confirmed on Friday. After an investigation led by the area of offenses against persons of the Organic Unit of Police Judiciary of the Guardia Civil in Zaragoza, the arrests followed a formal inquiry prompted by several complaints filed at Policía Nacional facilities in Zaragoza by the mother of a minor at Ateca. The complaints described alleged injuries inflicted by some staff members.
The Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police specialists immediately opened the case upon learning of these events. They carried out numerous inquiries and collected statements from several center employees and the alleged victim. The Guardia Civil explained that the center’s director was aware of the actions by the educators and that these actions did not align with the established treatment protocol for internal residents and may amount to criminal conduct.
Coercive and degrading treatment
According to the same sources, the alleged episodes consisted of isolation, degrading and abusive treatment, and injuries caused by some educators who allegedly struck the minor in a room. The door to that room was reportedly blocked and locked before the assaults occurred.
Investigators also found that restraints were applied to the minor without proper documentation, in violation of the procedural norms for youth centers. The center’s designated supervisor allegedly knew about this and had indicated that such records should not be kept.
All allegations indicate that the minor began to experience heightened insecurity about staying at the center and a fear for personal safety starting in late June. The situation was communicated to one of the workers, who then reported it to the center’s director. The director reportedly did not perceive the procedures used with the minor as contrary to protocol.
Additionally, authorities established that on one occasion the center’s head asked a health worker to prepare a report stating that the minor had no injuries. The healthcare professional refused to issue a false report, making it clear that such fabrications would not be produced.
During the operation, investigators identified more resident victims within the center and gathered indications of alleged criminal acts involving sexual abuse and corruption of minors carried out by several educators over recent months.
Following the evidence gathered by the Judicial Police specialists, five individuals were arrested yesterday and placed under judicial custody this morning.
A contracted facility for youth care
The Ateca youth center operates as a government-contracted facility managed by the Health and Community Foundation in partnership with Lagunduz Group. It serves adolescent residents with behavioral issues who have been separated from their families. None of the approximately twenty beds is in a closed regime, and resident entries and exits are allowed, though security staff monitor all activities.
The Government of Aragon’s Department of Social Welfare confirmed the opening of an open investigation on Thursday, noting that the residents display disruptive conduct and have limited family support. Seventeen adolescents remain there by court authorization due to a severe conduct disorder diagnosed by a judge who has determined they cannot stay within their family environment.
The Institute for Aragonese Social Services emphasized that the primary concern is ensuring the safety and welfare of the minors currently at the center and that they are collaborating with the management entity from the protection of childhood services and the Zaragoza provincial office to address the situation. These authorities underscored a commitment to safeguarding the well-being of the residents as investigations proceed.
Local officials expressed surprise at the arrests because many staff members had been employed at the center for a long time. They also acknowledged that Guardia Civil presence at the entrance is common due to missing persons and conflicts, though the arrests mark a shift in the handling of ongoing concerns at the facility.