On Friday 24 September 2021, 09:30 AM, the district court of The Hague will hold a hearing in the case filed by Ms. Scheele-Gertsen and Bureau Clara Wichmann against the Dutch State on account of the unlawful separation of unmarried mothers from their children in the period 1956-1984. This is the first time that a Dutch court will rule on a complaint by a mother who was forced to give up her baby to the State.
In 2020, Trouw and Omroep Gelderland documented how in the period 1956-1984, a system evolved in which unmarried mothers were separated from their children against their will. Additionally, Sarah Tekath produced a podcast (in English) about the history of forced separation in the Netherlands. The women were given incomplete and incorrect information about their rights. It was instilled in them that it would be better for their child if they gave it up for adoption. Opportunities that existed to help them raise their child on their own were kept from them. And they were also unjustly portrayed as women who neither wanted nor could raise their own child. This was also the case with Ms. Scheele-Gertsen. On behalf of the State, the Child Protection Board played an important role in this system by using its powers unlawfully and in a way that contributed to the separation of mothers and their children. Ms. Scheele-Gertsen and Bureau Clara Wichmann are represented in the proceedings by Lisa-Marie Komp.
Unfortunately, due to the corona measures, public access to the hearing is limited. The press is allowed to attend, but must register with the Information Department of the District Court of The Hague. For those who are not allowed to attend the hearing, the hearing can be followed via this livestream.
See also (in Dutch):
- C. Don, '‘Er is bewust toegewerkt naar adoptie’, zegt afstandsmoeder die de staat aansprakelijk stelt' (NRC Handelsblad)
Previously