Dutch government delays compensation for forced adoptions, 15,000 affected

The Dutch government said Wednesday it needs more time to design a suitable form of compensation for individuals who were forced to give up their newborns or who were given up as infants between 1956 and 1984.

Caretaker State Secretaries Arno Rutte (Justice and Security) and Judith Tielen (Youth, Prevention, and Sport) emphasized that the process must be handled “as carefully as possible.” They acknowledged the deep suffering inflicted on the affected families.

They announced it in a letter to the Tweede Kamer, responding to a special committee's June report. The report detailed that many parents and children continue to experience the emotional consequences of these forced adoptions.

During this period, women—particularly those not married to the child’s father—were pressured to surrender their newborns. The coercion often came from family members or church authorities. Approximately 15,000 people were reportedly affected. Rutte and Tielen stated that they plan to closely involve affected individuals in the development of reparations.

“First and foremost, we want to express to the mothers and the children who were given up that the distressing events described in this report should never have happened,” the letter said. The officials acknowledged that parents were subjected to “unnecessary and immense suffering” due to being forced to give up their children for adoption.

The state secretaries also called on several organizations to examine their historical roles, including the Council for the Judiciary, the Child Protection Board, and the Interchurch Contact in Government Affairs.