Grand Duchess Maria Teresa Visits the 'New Step' Shelter in Luxembourg

On May 23, 2025, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg visited the “New Step” shelter in Luxembourg, which provides accommodation for victims of human trafficking. It is one of two housing facilities managed by the “Maison de la Porte Ouverte” Foundation, supporting 5 to 6 individuals. The Maison de la Porte Ouverte Foundation offers both shelter and psycho-social support to help victims rebuild their lives.

The Grand Duchess was welcomed by Maurice Bauer, President of the Foundation and First Deputy Mayor of the City of Luxembourg, as well as Myriam Mersch-Zimmer, the Foundation’s General Director.

She was then briefed on the situation of the victims by Cindy Martins, a social worker and Coordinator of Victim Assistance for Human Trafficking, along with social worker Medina Ceman and psychologist Nicolas Ousseni. Following these discussions, the Grand Duchess met with two families of victims.

On May 23, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the “Konterbont” shelter in Dudelange, a 24-hour care center for children who are victims of abuse and have been placed there by the Juvenile Court. She was welcomed by Michèle Kayser-Wengler, President of the Pro Familia Foundation; Pierrette Meisch, Director; and Inês Dias, Deputy Director of the National Office for Children (ONE), part of the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth.

The Grand Duchess toured the facilities—opened a year ago—accompanied by some of the sixteen current residents. She spent quality time speaking with the children and joined them in craft and cooking activities. She also met with the management, ministry officials, and staff to discuss the challenges and issues facing the child welfare sector.