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The decades of waiting for justice ended on Nov. 26. 2008
The German government not only acknowledged the abuse of some 500,000 institutionalized children, it apologized and promised a thorough investigation.Two years ago, the formally institutionalized, filed a petition to the German government, asking for an investigation about abuse in German institutions and the violation of human rights in the post World War II years.
During the period of economical boom after World War II children were, for no particular reason, stuffed into state and religious institutions. These children experienced physical, psychological, sexual abuse, were forcefully medicated and were used as slave laborers. One of the first accounts of German institutional abuse, was written in 1996 and published in 2000 by A Never Ending Pain could not break through the wall of denial in the German political system. Later stories, books and movies from others abused in institutions, contributed to the founding of (Verein ehemaliger Heimkinder) an organization for the institutionally abused. Well respected German media and profit-driven journalistic hitchhikers helped pushing the issue to the top.
These children are adults today, who lived with the effects of early inflicted trauma for over 40 years, are coming close to retirement or even being forced by mental and physical illness to file for disability. Now they have had to find out that the years they were used as slave laborers are not included in their social security.
The speaker of the house Bundestagspräsident Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert, (CDU) called the acknowledgement an “unusual process”.Josef Philip Winkler (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), said: “the long denied chapter of a post war era comes to light.” Dr. Antje Vollmer will be in charge of the round table where an investigation will proceed to find the guilty ones who abused the institutionalized children under the watchful eye of the Government in the years from 1949 -1970. Further presentation by the representative of the Petition was about financial restitution and psychological help, because most of the abused in institutions are still suffering from the imprint of early childhood trauma.
One of the formally institutionalized said: “the shame and blame from society I have had to live with for over 40 years, is lifted off my back and I can finally breathe.”
Original PR in German: Ein dunkles Kapitel der deutschen Nachkriegsgeschichte
“It would be a disaster if the German Government were to adopt the Irish Model of Redress to compensate those people who were abused while in the care of the state or wherever. We've seen the secrecy in Ireland - the same kind of secrecy that led to the cover up of abuse in the first instance. If the German Government learn anything from the Irish model it should be that it flies in the face of natural justice and further traumatizes people who were abused.” Paddy Doyle, The God Squad