The dark truth: forced admissions of women in the GDR exposed!

The dark truth: forced admissions of women in the GDR exposed!

A dark chapter in German history is coming into light: more and more affected women from the GDR are telling about their terrible experiences in so-called “gonorrhea castles”. One of these women, Saxon-born Jana Mendes-Bogas, fled from a children's home and resisted adapting to socialism. But her fate took a tragic turn because she was mistreated by the GDR regime. [MDR reports].

The “gonorrhea castles” were not only brutal prisons, but also places of trauma. According to Christine Wöldike, a nurse who had known about the abuses at Friedrichstadt Hospital since 1972, women and girls in these facilities were stigmatized as “asocial” and were often arbitrarily locked away. Decisions by the youth welfare office were unavoidable; Parents had no opportunity to defend themselves against the forced admissions. Psychologist Mathias Mohr reports on 10- to 12-year-old girls who were picked up at train stations and locked away for several weeks.

Disrupted medical practices

The medical procedures in these facilities were anything but humane. The instructions often came from the Ministry of Health, which monitored the forced admissions carried out. In the GDR, girls and women aged 12 and over were often treated without any medical basis. The Federal Agency for Civic Education has pointed out that despite the suspicion of sexually transmitted diseases, their presence could only actually be proven in a third of the women.

The practices included detailed gynecological examinations, often accompanied by psychological torture and the use of questionable medications. An example from Halle illustrates the dilemma: In 1968, of 2,763 people who were forcibly admitted, only 28% were actually infected. The others had to live in inhumane conditions and were deprived of their freedom in order to mold them into a “socialist personality”. This violence is not only viewed as medical maltreatment, but also as a serious human rights violation that has not yet been adequately addressed.

The consequences of compulsory admissions

The trauma that many women endured has long-term effects. A contemporary witness describes painful gynecological examinations in the Halle Polyclinic. *Deutschlandfunk* highlights that many women freeze in fear when it comes to gynecological examinations. They often had difficulty forming relationships and many quickly formed new family bonds, which did not heal the emotional wounds.

Jana Mendes-Bogas is one voice among many, and she emphasizes the importance of addressing this dark history. The Dresden Municipal Clinic is looking for affected women to come to terms with the events and give the victims a voice. For decades there was silence about what happened in these “gonorrhea castles” - now it is time to come to terms with the past and finally bring justice to the victims.