[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ theme_builder_area=”post_content” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Residential care in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950s and 1960s was characterised by authority, obedience and a rigid understanding of education. In many cases, children were not regarded as individuals in need of protection, but as objects to be disciplined. Particularly in a children’s home in Germany in the 1960s<\/strong>, social repression, a lack of control and religiously legitimised power came together. The result was a system that not only permitted violence, but structurally encouraged it. <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n In numerous denominational children’s homes, there was an almost total dependence of the children on their carers. Physical punishment, psychological violence and sexualised abuse were not isolated cases, but part of a system that was kept stable by silence and fear. Authorities were considered untouchable, and children’s complaints were dismissed as lies or disobedience. The abuse<\/strong> was therefore not only individually traumatising, but institutionally secured. <\/p>\n Legally, children in homes were in a grey area at the time. The parental right of chastisement was effectively transferred to the homes, and there was a general lack of control bodies. It was not until decades later that violence in education was legally outlawed. Today, children’s rights, protection concepts and external supervision are the focus, a clear contrast to the conditions of the 1960s. Nevertheless, the question remains as to how many fates could have been prevented if action had been taken earlier. <\/p>\n A turning point was the Round Table on Residential Care<\/strong> (2009\u20132011), which systematically acknowledged the suffering of former children’s home residents for the first time. As a result, funds were created for financial compensation and offers for therapeutic support. For many of those affected, this recognition came late, but it was a necessary step to bring the abuse<\/strong> out of social invisibility.<\/p>\n The reality of that time is made particularly vivid through personal accounts from someone affected. In Down Below<\/em>, a survivor describes the everyday violence, the powerlessness, and the lifelong impact of the experiences. The text refrains from sensationalism, which makes it all the more powerful. It makes it clear that historical processing is not abstract, but always concerns concrete people and biographies.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Read the sample<\/strong><\/a> to get a personal insight into the topic.<\/p>\n You can find more background information on the book page<\/strong><\/a> and in the interview with the author<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Historical context of residential care Residential care in the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950s and 1960s was characterised by authority, obedience and a rigid understanding of education. In many cases, children were not regarded as individuals in need of protection, but as objects to be disciplined. Particularly in a children’s home in Germany […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Abuse in children's homes in the 60s: What really happened","_seopress_titles_desc":"Historical reappraisal: Systematic abuse in German children's homes in the 1960s. 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Legal situation then vs. now<\/h4>\n
Reappraisal processes: Round table and compensation<\/h4>\n
Personal insights from Into the Abyss<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n