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

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

A dark chapter in German history is moving into the light: More and more affected women from the GDR tell of their terrible experiences in so-called "Tripper castles". One of these women, the native of Saxon Jana Mendes-Bogas, fled from a children's home and defended himself against adaptation to socialism. But her fate took a tragic turn because it was abused by the GDR regime. MDR reports of their daily gynecological examinations and the brutal abuse that they and many others suffered.

The "ribs" were not only brutal prisons, but also places of traumatization. According to Christine Wöldike, a nurse who had known the grievances in the Friedrichstadt hospital since 1972, women and girls were stigmatized as "anti -social" in these facilities and often climbs away arbitrarily. Decisions of the youth welfare office were essential; Parents had no way to defend themselves against the forced admissions. Psychologist Mathias Mohr reports on 10- to 12-year-old girls who were taken up at train stations and locked away for several weeks.

disturbed medical practices

The medical processes in these facilities were anything but humane treatments. The instructions often came from the Ministry of Healthcare, which monitored the compulsory admissions carried out. In the GDR, girls and women from the age of 12 were often treated without a medical basis. [The Federal Center for Political Education] (https://www.bpb.de/themen/deutschlandarchiv/263827/politisierte- Medizin-in-der-ddr-fahr- venerological-stations-und- das-Fuer-Staatsicherheit/) pointed out that despite the suspicion of sexual diseases, only one third of the women could actually be demonstrated.

The practices included incoming gynecological studies that were often accompanied by psychological torture and the use of questionable medication. An example from Halle illustrates the dilemma: in 1968 only 28% of 2763 compulsive people were actually infected. The others had to live under inhumane conditions and were robbed in their freedom to form them in a "socialist personality". This violence is not only assessed as a medical failure, but as a serious violation of human rights, which has not yet been sufficiently processed.

The consequences of the forced admissions

The traumatizations that many women suffered have long -term effects. A contemporary witness describes painful gynecological examinations in the Halle polyclinic. * [Deutschlandfunk] (https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/traumatisierung-zwangsungsung-von-frauen-in-der-DDR- 100.html)* emphasizes that many women frighten out when it comes to gynecological examinations. They often had difficulty building up relationships, and many quickly received new family ties, which did not heal the emotional wounds.

Jana Mendes-Bogas is a voice among many, and she emphasizes how important it is to deal with this dark story. The municipal clinic in Dresden is looking for affected women to process the events and give the victims a voice. For decades, what happened in these "ribs" was silent - now it is time to work up the past and finally give the victims justice.