Stadskanaal mothers accused of severe child abuse reported to aid agencies 15 months ago

Aid organizations knew about the two Stadskanaal mothers accused of severely abusing their two children for at least 15 months, AD reports. They received reports about child neglect and abuse over a year ago, but no immediate action was taken.

This case came to light a week ago when a ruling by a juvenile court detailed the abuse suffered by a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy in Stadskanaal. They were starved, locked in a basement, and recorded while their mothers humiliated them.

The girl bore the brunt of the abuse and was so severely beaten that she had to be kept in an artificial coma in a hospital earlier this year. Her mother forced her to eat her own vomit off the floor, beat her with a broomstick, and kicked her.

Now, AD discovered that aid organizations have been involved with these families for at least 15 months, though not one of them is taking responsibility for what happened to these children. In their responses to the newspaper, they mainly point the finger at one another, without mentioning names.

The William Schrikker Foundation (WSS) - the same agency involved with a Vlaardingen girl who was beaten so badly by her foster parents that she ended up in a coma and with permanent disabilities - told AD that it has only been involved in this case since March 2026, following a court order for supervision. The foundation said it filed a police report against both mothers and says that is part of the reason why the police launched an investigation.

WSS also told AD that it asked the court this month to remove the children from their mothers’ homes. That has since happened. According to WSS, the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate is investigating the quality of care provided by “organizations involved in this case for longer than we were.” Without naming names, WSS is referring to Veilig Thuis Groningen (VTG) and Jeugdbescherming Noord (JN).

Veilig Thuis, the national advice and reporting center for child abuse and domestic violence, told AD that it had received multiple reports on both children, “on which immediate action was taken each time.” One report came from the girl’s school in November 2025, when she had a cut on her head and told her teacher that her mother had hit her with a broomstick. VTG cannot say what happened with that report.

In the Netherlands, care providers are required to inform the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate immediately if they suspect child neglect or abuse. The Inspectorate told AD that it only received a report from JN and VTG on Wednesday, after the juvenile court ruling that brought this case to the media’s attention.

VTG now told the newspaper that it had already started its own investigation into the two families at an earlier stage, though it did not say when. This resulted in a report and a clear recommendation that was handed over to “involved partners,” a spokesperson said. They did not say who those partners were, when they were informed, or what clear recommendation the report entailed.

The prolonged abuse of these children is shocking, Veilig Thuis told AD. “This affects the children themselves, those around them, and everyone involved in their protection and care. We sympathize with the children and their families.” For now, all attention is focused on the two children, Veilig Thuis said. “They are entitled to an independent investigation and protection of their privacy.”

Veilig Thuis regularly leaves child abuse cases unresolved for too long, the Association of Dutch Juvenile Law Attorneys (VNJ) and the Association of Social Lawyers in the Netherlands (VSAN) told the Telegraaf on Tuesday. This is partly because of the vast amount of reports the center needs to deal with.

Veilig Thuis is legally obliged to determine within five days of a child abuse report whether the child is safe. That timeframe is regularly not met, Reinier Feiner of VSAN told the newspaper. According to Feiner, this is partly due to the center receiving so many child abuse reports that it can no longer see the forest for the trees. “And as a result, serious cases of abuse get buried.”