Overview
- Tens of thousands marched to the prime minister’s office in Buda Castle calling for Viktor Orbán to resign and to protect children in state care.
- Prosecutors said at least seven people linked to the Budapest juvenile facility have been detained, with an ongoing investigation into its former director over suspected trafficking and money laundering.
- The government ordered direct police supervision of all five juvenile correctional centers in response to the scandal.
- An internal 2021 report documented about 3,300 suspected abuses in children’s homes, including more than 300 sexual cases, affecting roughly 20% of institutionalized minors.
- Orbán initially downplayed the allegations before calling the acts unacceptable, while recent polling shows Péter Magyar’s Tisza leading Fidesz ahead of elections expected in April.