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taz Salon: Der Jugendhilfeskandal um die Haasenburg
taz Salon: The youth welfare scandal surrounding Haasenburg
Event by: taz
Location: TAZ-Kantine: Restaurant und Bar, Friedrichstraße 21, Berlin - Bezirk Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Tickets: Get tickets
About event
In 2013, three Haasenburg homes were closed due to harassing parenting practices. Now former children in care describe their views in a book and make their stories public.
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Event information:
When: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025, 7 p.m.
Admission: from 6:30 p.m.
Where: taz Kantine
Friedrichstr. 21
10969 Berlin
Free admission, registration required
Access to the event is barrier-free.
More information at: https://taz.de/!vn6126644/
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Tell us in the book “Beyond Child Welfare”. 14 young people from their time in the “Haasenburg”. That was the name of three closed homes in Brandenburg to which youth welfare offices sent children from all over Germany. Brandenburg's youth minister had the facility closed in 2013 because of harassing educational practices. The taz has been following the scandal since 2012.
An astonishing ten years later, when memories of the scandal had faded, the Cottbus Administrative Court ruled that the closure was unlawful. But the judges based their judgment largely on recent files from the home company, when the facility had long been under public scrutiny. The perspective of the affected home inmates played no role.
But the last word on this matter should not yet be spoken, thought the social scientist Michael Lindenberg and the taz editor Kaija Kutter. Both had spoken to many former residents over the years who expressed the desire to make their home history public - to avoid being forgotten.
This has now become a joint book, over 300 pages long, in which 14 former Haasenburg children describe their ordeal: How they came to the home, what happened before, how they tried to defend themselves, how life continued afterwards.
The books were created using a guide Protocols, illustrated with drawings by Imke Staats, are intended to be a warning reminder of this largest youth welfare scandal of the post-reunification period. And because certain patterns repeat themselves in closed homes, they are supplemented by two reports from homes in the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s.
At this event, in addition to the book authors, former residents will also read from their chapters. The book “Beyond child welfare: young people from the Haasenburg homes tell stories” has been published by IGfH-Fachverlag.
A taz salon with these guests:
Dominik G., former Haasenburg resident of a Haasenburg home
Kaija Kutter, taz editor and author of Book
Michelle L., former Haasenburg resident
Michael Lindenberg, social scientist and author of the book
taz nord editorial director Jan Kahlcke moderates this salon.
Photo credit: Imke Staats
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Event information:
When: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025, 7 p.m.
Admission: from 6:30 p.m.
Where: taz Kantine
Friedrichstr. 21
10969 Berlin
Free admission, registration required
Access to the event is barrier-free.
More information at: https://taz.de/!vn6126644/
-------------------------------------------------
Tell us in the book “Beyond Child Welfare”. 14 young people from their time in the “Haasenburg”. That was the name of three closed homes in Brandenburg to which youth welfare offices sent children from all over Germany. Brandenburg's youth minister had the facility closed in 2013 because of harassing educational practices. The taz has been following the scandal since 2012.
An astonishing ten years later, when memories of the scandal had faded, the Cottbus Administrative Court ruled that the closure was unlawful. But the judges based their judgment largely on recent files from the home company, when the facility had long been under public scrutiny. The perspective of the affected home inmates played no role.
But the last word on this matter should not yet be spoken, thought the social scientist Michael Lindenberg and the taz editor Kaija Kutter. Both had spoken to many former residents over the years who expressed the desire to make their home history public - to avoid being forgotten.
This has now become a joint book, over 300 pages long, in which 14 former Haasenburg children describe their ordeal: How they came to the home, what happened before, how they tried to defend themselves, how life continued afterwards.
The books were created using a guide Protocols, illustrated with drawings by Imke Staats, are intended to be a warning reminder of this largest youth welfare scandal of the post-reunification period. And because certain patterns repeat themselves in closed homes, they are supplemented by two reports from homes in the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR in the 1960s and 1970s.
At this event, in addition to the book authors, former residents will also read from their chapters. The book “Beyond child welfare: young people from the Haasenburg homes tell stories” has been published by IGfH-Fachverlag.
A taz salon with these guests:
Dominik G., former Haasenburg resident of a Haasenburg home
Kaija Kutter, taz editor and author of Book
Michelle L., former Haasenburg resident
Michael Lindenberg, social scientist and author of the book
taz nord editorial director Jan Kahlcke moderates this salon.
Photo credit: Imke Staats