In the aftermath of World War II, East Germany implemented a systematic campaign to forcibly remove children from their families and place them in state-run institutions or for adoption in other countries. This policy, which primarily targeted children of dissidents, political opponents, and other vulnerable groups, aimed to indoctrinate the children with communist ideology and sever their ties with their families and cultural heritage. The practice, known as "stolen children," or "Zwangsadoptionen," resulted in thousands of children being forcibly separated from their families, leaving lasting emotional and psychological scars on both the children and their families.
