HeimKinderUSA

THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN AND JUVENILES OF POST-WAR GERMANY (1945-1985)
"HEIMKINDER"

The children in the cold of the hard winter was a normal occurence, something similiar happended to me, the care taker did not allow me to use my winter coat, provided to me by the child services.

More than 3000 of these prison-like institutions existed in the 1960ies in every State of Germany. Whilst the economy was thriving and Germany was getting fat during the reconstruction period spanning several decades after the war children and juveniles disappeared quietly behind high walls and barbed wire. Here there they were locked away and severely abused simply for being a burden to society.

We were not criminals (and even criminals should not be treated the way we were!). We were the helpless and forgotten children of postwar Germany.

We were raised by the rules and laws established in 1878

I have to give you some information about the circumstances of the postwar Germany and the way foster care and orphanages were regulated, if they were regulated. The way the children were treated by the state and the other institutions of the "merciful orders of religion", better called by us "The child welfare hellholes". To make it easier to understand, the rules, regulations and laws which we children and juveniles of the post-war Germany were raised, have been established in 1878 and have not been revised until late 1970's but only revised with still not enough protection for children. the "Children Protection Act" was not signed into law until 1992, which to me is unbelievable when finally some, but only some of the child protection laws were established. Scores of children in postwar Germany were abused in institutions while wards of the state well into the 1970s. They now want an apology and compensation. But the government is sending mixed signals