Interviews with five women who, as young girls, ended up working against their will in sewing workshops and laundries of the convent community De Goede Herder. For years, they performed work without pay under miserable conditions.
Interviews with five women who, as young girls, ended up working against their will in sewing workshops and laundries of the convent community De Goede Herder. For years, they performed work without pay under miserable conditions.
Until now, little was known about the nature and extent of the forced labour that an estimated 15,000 girls were forced to perform during their incarceration in establishments of the Roman Catholic Congregation de Goede Herder in Zoeterwoude, Velp, Tilburg and Almelo. For the Oral History project A Spoken Monument: Child Forced Labour Girls Good Shepherd, five of them were interviewed by historian Dineke Stam and documentary filmmaker Jet Homoet.
"These film interviews fill a glaring gap about the Dutch history of forced child labour within the walls of Roman Catholic 'youth care'. In this, educators and the youth care of the Dutch government acted as suppliers and helped the congregation generate income."
Everything went on lock
On 24 January 2020, the film interviews Alles ging op slot were launched. The long interviews (3-4 hours) were captured at Atria for permanent access for digital research data (DANS) and made available from 1 March 2020.
Lotmates can contact the KMGH foundation.
Bureau Clara Wichmann is supporting the women's lawsuit.
