Traumatic deportation of children: Last round table in St. Peter-Ording

Traumatic deportation of children: Last round table in St. Peter-Ording

The Round Table on Sending Children in St. Peter-Ording met for the last time on July 18, 2025. This was an important step towards coming to terms with a dark chapter in German post-war history. Conversations and reports from those affected have shown how painful the experiences were that many of these so-called deportation children suffered between 1945 and 1990. During this time, it is estimated that between 6 and 8 million children were sent to the west coast for medical treatment, including around 325,000 children and young people in St. Peter-Ording alone who were housed in around 50 homes. As NDR reports, the round table was set up at the request of those affected in order to hear and document their painful stories.

The project, which was carried out by the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel under the direction of Prof. Peter Graeff and Dr. Helge-Fabien Hertz, coordinated, examines the experiences of these children in detail. An initial analysis was based on more than 1,000 pages of historical material and 450 data sets as well as interviews with those affected. There were horrifying reports of psychological violence, such as verbal abuse and isolation. This is how Christa Schneider, a former child who was deported, describes her story of suffering in the “Schloss am Meer” children’s health home. She was given laxatives and forced to eat vomit, which made her return home a traumatic experience as her parents did not believe her. According to Deutschlandfunk, these cures were often offered as curative measures for respiratory diseases, financed by health and pension funds.

Experiences and processing

The chain of coercion and abuse in the homes is alarming. Despite the difficult process, it is important to those affected that not only compensation is demanded, but above all education and responsibility. The Association for the Processing and Research of the Deportation of Children (AEKV) calls for a comprehensive analysis of the events and cooperation with those affected. The study found that many children were forced into a strict obligation to rest, which they experienced as torture, while contact with their parents was interrupted in order to avoid homesickness.

Although some progress has been made, such as a feasibility study by the German Pension Insurance Association on systematic processing, many of those affected are still struggling with the psychological consequences and the feeling that their stories are not sufficiently valued. The Diakonie Niedersachsen has already apologized for its oversights, but many of the home providers have not yet made any official statements. It remains to be hoped that the planned exhibition on the deportations of children in St. Peter-Ording, which is intended to draw attention to the diversity of experiences, is a step in the right direction.

Dealing with this issue requires patience and a good knack for putting those affected at the center of attention. The trauma of child deportation is a difficult burden that we cannot ignore for long.