The Commission on Domestic Relinquishment and Adoption (CBAA) investigated the impact of relinquishment and adoption on parents, children and other parties involved during the period 1956–1984. Atria was commissioned by the Commission to conduct research into the personal experiences of parents who gave up their children for adoption, children given up for adoption, foster and adoptive parents, and their close relatives. The report was presented to the State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, on 19 June 2025.
The Commission on Domestic Relinquishment and Adoption (CBAA) investigated the impact of relinquishment and adoption on parents, children and other parties involved during the period 1956–1984. Atria was commissioned by the Commission to conduct research into the personal experiences of parents who gave up their children for adoption, children given up for adoption, foster and adoptive parents, and their close relatives. The report was presented to the State Secretary for Legal Protection, Teun Struycken, on 19 June 2025.
Between 1956 and 1984, an estimated 13,000 or 14,000 unmarried pregnant girls and women in the Netherlands came under severe social pressure to give up their newborn children. This pressure came not only from those closest to them – parents, family and social workers – but was also fuelled by the prevailing norms of decency at the time and the fear of social or economic consequences.
Key recommendations
The report, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security at the end of 2022 and led by Micha de Winter, contains a number of recommendations. The conclusions are based on three sub-studies carried out by the International Institute of Social History (IISG), Maastricht University and Atria.
Expert support and care: promote the expertise of social workers, care staff and those currently training for these roles
Support in establishing contact with biological family and one’s own history: organise assistance in searching for information on ancestry
Control over one’s own family life: give parents and children as much say as possible in decisions about their family life
Control over one’s own sexuality: activelypromote sex education programmes in schools
Harm caused by stigma: do notpass judgement
Lasting recognition: include the theme of domestic separation and adoption in the Canon of the Netherlands
Deep Traces
Atria investigated people’s personal experiences of domestic separation and adoption in the sub-study ‘Deep Traces’. This study focuses on the significance these experiences held for them, both at the time and in later periods. Among other things, oral history interviews were conducted with:
women who had given up a child
men whose children were given up for adoption
people who were given up for adoption as children and grew up with adoptive parents or in another situation
people who have brought up one or more children who were given up for adoption
and people who were directly affected by this in their immediate circle
