Child tracing service, german red cross

The child tracing service is dedicated to children who have lost their parents due to war, flight or displacement.

Children’s fates of the Second World War

Most requests to the child search service are related to the events of World War II. They are provided by people who still need to know who their birth parents are, where their roots are, and where they actually belong. Since 1945, the DRK tracing service has clarified around 500,000 children’s fates.

The 33,000 so-called “Foundlings". They were mostly separated from their families while fleeing and were too young to know their own name and age. With a variety of clarification methods, the child tracing service was able to reduce its number to 400.

The search for and from began in the 1970s illegitimate children, German soldiers as well as occupation soldiers stationed in Germany for a short time. It is estimated that this affects several hundred thousand children who were born between 1940 and well into the post-war period.

Forced adopted from the former GDR

People who were forcibly adopted in the former GDR also turn to the child tracing service. For example, because their parents had committed or wanted to commit republic republic and the children were therefore taken away from them. In many cases, those who are now adults only found out about it after the wall came down. At least they could from this time to look for their roots for the first time. These children, in some cases also the parents, have a vital interest in clarifying their fates.

Clarification of identity of late repatriates

There are also cases of unexplained identities among children among late repatriates from the former Soviet Union. These include the so-called "Wolf children". These are mostly people from East Prussia who, as children, became parentless as a result of the turmoil of the Second World War and then wandered through the country on their own or hid in the woods. These children usually knew little about their family of origin. They were often taken in by Lithuanian families. These gave them Lithuanian names and, due to a lack of knowledge, new dates of birth. As a result, those affected today hardly provide any information about their biological parents and their actual descent can, if you want to restore your true identity for the purpose of leaving for Germany. Even if such fates are very difficult to clarify, the DRK tracing service tries to help the applicants for departure.

Unaccompanied minor refugees

Through current wars, flight and displacement, too today Children separated from their parents. Some of the minor refugees who arrive in Germany without caregivers do not know where their parents are and how they are doing. At the request of the children, the DRK search service also uses Trace the Face, the option of online searches with photos, to search for their closest relatives and is trying to bring families together. Further information on the offer for unaccompanied minor refugees can be found here.

Children’s fates of the Second World War

Forced adopted from the former GDR

Clarification of identity of late repatriates

Unaccompanied minor refugees

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