Child abduction with serious consequences

Minors, unmarried, widowed: There were many reasons why, just a few decades ago, women were denied the right and ability to raise their own children. Sex was still a taboo subject back then, and abortions were not possible – but adoptions were, from 1956 onward. As a result, teenage pregnancies in particular ended up in mother-and-child homes. The young women were brought there by their families, often with the support of the church, before a pregnancy could become too obvious.

They remained there until the birth, which was often brutal. The lower part of the body was covered with a sheet, and the infant was carried away immediately after birth. The young mothers were not allowed to hold or breastfeed their babies. Many didn't even know whether they had given birth to a boy or a girl. This was intended to prevent any search for the child. Afterward, the children were placed with adoptive families.

One of the women affected is Will van Sebille. In 1967, she was 17 years old and became pregnant. Fearing social ostracism, her parents turned to the Catholic "Mother's Aid" office. Van Sebille was taken to a home for unmarried mothers, colloquially known as the "Home for Fallen Girls." She remembers the other young women there: isolated and completely overwhelmed by the situation.

Van Sebille gives birth to her baby and is then sent home. She is expected to continue her normal life. No one cares about her emotional state or even her wishes. In the 1990s, the woman finally ventures into the public eye. She participates in the television documentary "In All Silence," in which she visits the mother-child home of the time with a camera crew. She co-authored the book "Gone Away, Place Gone," and founded the foundation "De Afstandsmoeder" for biological mothers who have been separated from their children.

It wasn't until 2016 that the first scientific study on "distance mothers" was conducted at Radboud University in Nijmegen. According to the study , more than 15,000 women in the Netherlands were affected . Three years later, a second study followed, including a reporting center for affected parents and children. The study examined, in particular, the involvement of various organizations and the role of the government.

In 2020, serious deficiencies were highlighted in the Dutch media. For example, individuals from the files were contacted and interviewed without warning, including by an organization that had previously been involved in the adoptions. The government has since acknowledged serious errors in the study and made corrections.

In June 2020, Trudy Scheele-Gertsen filed a lawsuit against the Dutch government for the unlawful removal of her child. Her lawsuit was dismissed in 2022, but she appealed. "Afstandskinder," now adults, have also taken up the fight for clarification. Many only began searching for their biological mothers after the death of their adoptive parents .

The report "Damage Through Shame" was published in June 2025. An independent commission spent three years conducting around 300 interviews with victims – mothers, children, fathers, and adoptive parents – and studying numerous files. The International Institute for Social History, Maastricht University, and the Atria Women's Institute were involved in the subprojects.

According to the report, the decision to forgo having children was often due to family pressure, with illegitimate pregnancy being viewed as a disgrace. Institutional and psychiatric constraints also played a role – with serious consequences that continue to this day. So far, the suffering has only been acknowledged on paper. And in March 2025, the Court of Appeal in The Hague ruled that the Afstandsmoeders' cases were time-barred. Apologies from the government, opportunities for access to the files, or compensation are currently not in sight.