SOS Children’s Villages International withholds report into its role in ‘disappeared’ Syrian children

The decision not to publish a final report has added to tensions that threaten to break apart the charity, which was founded in 1949.

Associations in the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, France and the Netherlands – which contributed significant funds to the organisation’s budget – have since decided to leave the federation and become independent charities.

In December, the directors of the German association, SOS Children’s Villages Worldwide, which is the largest single contributor to SOS, voted to leave. But the German supervisory board, which operates as a trustee of the charity, overruled them and dismissed all three directors in February.

SOS Worldwide told the BBC that the directors were fired for “serious breaches of duty.” The directors dispute this and are challenging their dismissal in the German courts.

Before they were dismissed, the German directors had set aside a “voluntary compensation” fund for Syrian victims, but so far no money has been distributed, according to a number of leaked documents from multiple sources seen by the BBC.

The SOS spokesperson said the charity has expressed its “willingness” to support those who were affected, but providing assistance depends “on legal and practical conditions that require co-ordination with relevant parties”.

The Syrian families we met said that they were still waiting to hear from SOS.

“I had hoped SOS would apologise and offer support, to compensate me for the harm they caused by separating me from my family,” Omama Ghbeis said.

“No-one at SOS talked to us or gave us anything.”

This BBC Eye investigation is part of a joint project with Lighthouse Reports, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Women Who Won the War and Al-Jumhuriya.

Charlotte Alfred is a Senior Editor at Lighthouse Reports.