WEBVTT
00:00:00.598 00:00:08.439
The characters in this film are real people who agreed to be interviewed on condition of anonymity.
Their voices have been changed and their faces hidden to protect their identities.
00:00:08.439 00:00:14.436
Viewer Discretion Advised
Includes mature content that
some viewers may find disturbing

00:00:14.01 --> 00:00:17.05
[ Sven ]I'm a person who doesn't deserve to be loved

00:00:17.05 --> 00:00:22.20
I was, and still am, 
the product of a child molester
00:00:26.579 00:00:34.619
[ VO ]In 2008, Dr. Helmut Kentler died in Germany, aged 80. His obituaries, described the well-known psychologist and sexologist 
00:00:34.619 00:00:40.098
as An advocate for permissive sexual morality and “Humanitarian sex education”
00:00:45.538 00:00:52.618
[ VO ]In Germany, Kentler was lauded as a 'hero of the sexual revolution' in the 1970 and 80s who had devoted a great deal of energy
00:00:52.618 00:00:58.733
to emancipating the German people. He wrote numerous books and appeared on many TV shows as an expert.
00:00:59.588 00:01:06.628
He proved his theories by setting an example. As a gay man, he adopted and raised children so by euopean standards of the time, 
00:01:06.628 00:01:10.748
Kentler could be seen as a progressive and positive individual.
00:01:12.540 00:01:18.861
[ VO ]But he didn’t attract widespread attention until 2016, after several scandalous articles were published. 
00:01:18.861 00:01:27.102
German investigators found archived documents showing that doctor Kentler had approached the West Berlin senate to propose a 'social experiment'.
00:01:27.102 00:01:33.613
His suggestion was to allow men who were sexually attracted to minors, to adopt neglected street-boys.
00:01:36.051 00:01:41.531
[ VO ]Kentler was allowed to conduct his experiment in 1969 when he worked at the Berlin Pedagogical centre. 
00:01:42.731 00:01:47.851
His hypothesis was that a sexual relationship with older men would help the boys to be socialised.
00:01:52.532 00:02:00.212
[ VO ]In mid-June, 2020, researchers from the University of Hildesheim released a report ordered by Berlin’s Senate Department for Education, 
00:02:00.212 00:02:08.289
Youth, and Family. Among other things, the researchers were given access to a ‘foster family’ case file. 
00:02:09.508 00:02:24.748
Fritz H. had eight boys and adolescents in his care from 1973 to 2003. Fritz H. was about 50 when six-year-old Marco went to live with him. Two years later, he adopted Sven, who was 8.
00:02:29.342 00:02:33.342
THE GERMAN PAEDO-FILES
00:02:35.412 00:02:40.893
[ Correspondent ]What was the day-to-day life with a person that was abusing you as your legal guardian?

00:02:41.08 --> 00:02:46.19
[ Marco ]In general, daily life was defined by instructions

00:02:46.19 --> 00:02:51.16
In fact, 
all you did was fulfil his wishes

00:02:52.03 --> 00:02:56.14
So, you were isolated from the outside world 
like in a sect

00:02:56.14 --> 00:02:59.10
There was a kind of home-schooling

00:02:59.10 --> 00:03:03.00
Everyone had to stay in their rooms

00:03:03.00 --> 00:03:06.03
We weren't allowed to talk to each other

00:03:06.03 --> 00:03:09.12
He was good at turning us against each other

00:03:09.12 --> 00:03:13.07
[ Sven ]To stay in this foster home,

00:03:13.07 --> 00:03:17.20
we had to do certain things 
we wouldn't have done otherwise:

00:03:17.20 --> 00:03:22.06
'If you don't do this, 
I'll send you to a shelter'

00:03:22.07 --> 00:03:26.12
'If you don't do that, you'll be thrown out,

00:03:26.12 --> 00:03:30.07
and you can eat garbage out of the trash again'

00:03:30.16 --> 00:03:35.23
Most of the time, 
you just encountered violence

00:03:35.23 --> 00:03:40.18
We never went to the doctor 
for a check-up or an appointment

00:03:40.20 --> 00:03:46.05
We could only go after he'd discussed 
all the issues with us in great detail

00:03:46.05 --> 00:03:49.09
and instructed us what to say and what not to
00:03:51.051 00:03:58.891
[ VO ]In the late 1980s, Kentler reported to the Berlin Senate that his experiment had been a success. Describing the lives of three ‘foster families,’ 
00:03:58.891 00:04:08.170
the sexologist claimed that all the boys had become good citizens able to support themselves and that they had retained their heterosexual orientation.
00:04:09.689 00:04:14.809
In his report, Kentler wrote: ‘It was clear to me that the three men had done so much for ‘their boys’ primarily 
00:04:14.809 00:04:17.926
because they had engaged in sexual relationships with them.’
00:04:20.046 00:04:24.286
[ Correspondebt ]Looking back at your abuser now, what type of a person was he?

00:04:24.16 --> 00:04:27.18
[ Marco ]There were instructions, shouting

00:04:27.18 --> 00:04:32.08
If you didn't obey 
as willingly as he thought you should,

00:04:32.08 --> 00:04:34.10
there were beatings

00:04:34.10 --> 00:04:38.18
He always said he wasn't hitting us, 
but the devil within us

00:04:38.18 --> 00:04:43.08
In my opinion, 
he was an irritable, short-tempered psychopath

00:04:43.10 --> 00:04:49.08
We had a foster brother 
with severe disabilities, who could not walk

00:04:49.08 --> 00:04:51.14
He had multiple problems

00:04:51.14 --> 00:04:56.13
He gave cheap Muller milk and soy powder 
to this disabled child,

00:04:56.13 --> 00:04:59.12
who couldn't run or walk

00:04:59.12 --> 00:05:02.22
He opened his mouth with a spoon 
and poured it in

00:05:03.00 --> 00:05:06.03
If the poor child didn't want to drink it,

00:05:06.03 --> 00:05:07.20
he beat him

00:05:07.20 --> 00:05:16.06
Marcel Kramer died of a simple flu 
right before our eyes at the age of 21

00:05:16.06 --> 00:05:18.05
He simply suffocated

00:05:18.06 --> 00:05:23.19
He assumed that if we received an education, 
he'd lose his status as a guardian

00:05:23.19 --> 00:05:28.03
He lived off the money 
he received to care for foster children
00:05:31.208 00:05:35.966
[ VO ]An excerpt from the official report on the paedophile personally signed by Kentler:
00:05:35.966 00:05:44.519
‘Mr. Fritz H. is a trustworthy person. I hold Mr. Fritz H. in the highest esteem. He has a natural pedagogical talent.’

00:05:47.06 --> 00:05:51.05
[ Sven ]Every day with this man 
was a struggle to survive,

00:05:51.06 --> 00:05:55.09
a struggle to preserve oneself,

00:05:55.09 --> 00:05:58.23
to save at least a little of what you had left
00:05:59.959 00:06:04.918
[ Correspondent ]When did you realise that there was something not right about your home life? 
00:06:04.918 00:06:12.756
How did you feel when you realised that this was way you’re living, how you’ve been treated?

00:06:13.02 --> 00:06:20.03
[ Marco ]We realised our life wasn't normal when 
we left the foster family

00:06:20.12 --> 00:06:24.10
This was, unfortunately, at the age of 21

00:06:24.10 --> 00:06:29.16
[ Sven ]It never occurred to us 
to talk to each other about what had happened

00:06:29.19 --> 00:06:36.22
[ Marco ]That was until we saw an article 
from which we found out about Helmut Kentler

00:06:36.22 --> 00:06:44.10
[ Sven ]It wasn't until three years ago that we really 
began to get to know each other again…

00:06:44.10 --> 00:06:46.06
to really talk and say:

00:06:46.06 --> 00:06:50.15
'Let's be honest, 
what happened to you, happened to me'
00:06:55.798 00:07:03.279
[ VO ]According to the Hildesheim University report, Kentler proudly described in his letters how he managed to enlist support from within the local government. 
00:07:03.279 00:07:09.911
Kentler’s network of influence encompassed academic facilities and social welfare services.

00:07:14.11 --> 00:07:21.08
[ Marco ]We found out about this experiment 
when Dr. Nentwig called us in 2017

00:07:21.21 --> 00:07:26.03
At that time, 
we also saw photos of Helmut Kentler,

00:07:26.03 --> 00:07:30.18
who is now presented 
as the scheme's main architect,

00:07:30.19 --> 00:07:35.06
but, according to the study, 
it wasn't him who was in charge

00:07:35.06 --> 00:07:40.04
There was a network 
of so-called influential people,

00:07:40.05 --> 00:07:42.02
50 in total

00:07:43.08 --> 00:07:47.00
And I thought this couldn't be true

00:07:47.00 --> 00:07:52.04
I was not just a product of chance: 
our lives were deliberately destroyed

00:07:52.10 --> 00:07:58.06
by employees of the Berlin branch 
of the then-ruling SPD party

00:07:58.07 --> 00:08:06.17
I don't want the international press 
to say the German people are to blame

00:08:07.00 --> 00:08:12.17
It was not the entire country, 
but the then-ruling party

00:08:12.17 --> 00:08:19.18
that hired this psychopath 
to conduct this life-destroying experiment

00:08:19.20 --> 00:08:27.08
We're concerned that the names of 
those responsible have not yet been made public

00:08:27.08 --> 00:08:32.10
The scientists did brilliant work, 
but they received their orders from a criminal,

00:08:32.10 --> 00:08:38.20
who is in the Berlin Senate, 
and therefore there can be no hearings

00:08:39.11 --> 00:08:46.09
It's like a burglar investigating his own crime

00:08:46.19 --> 00:08:48.21
This cannot be done

00:08:49.01 --> 00:08:56.02
This is evident in connection with this new buzzword 'data protection',

00:08:56.02 --> 00:09:02.05
which means 
names can't be mentioned for legal reasons

00:09:02.08 --> 00:09:08.04
[ Sven ]This was actually 
tolerated and supported for decades

00:09:08.08 --> 00:09:14.22
No one came to see if we were alright or how we were doing

00:09:15.00 --> 00:09:21.01
[ Marco ]Those responsible are 
still sitting in their offices or have retired

00:09:21.01 --> 00:09:25.00
It shouldn't be like that. This won't do

00:09:25.03 --> 00:09:28.21
They also refer to the Statute of Limitations

00:09:29.08 --> 00:09:34.13
We know one of those responsible 
is still working…

00:09:34.13 --> 00:09:39.20
still holds a position 
on the Board of the SPD in Steglitz

00:09:40.03 --> 00:09:49.24
Our lawyers and our representatives 
recommended that we sue the Berlin Senate

00:09:50.24 --> 00:09:54.02
What we are waiting for is justice

00:09:54.10 --> 00:10:00.03
The Senate offered us 10,000 euros in exchange

00:10:00.05 --> 00:10:05.11
for taking no further action against it

00:10:05.14 --> 00:10:11.04
From the very beginning, it was just about 
how they could downplay the problem

00:10:11.04 --> 00:10:15.09
The initial conversations 
were about a crime statement

00:10:15.09 --> 00:10:21.02
So, then we filed a crime report, and the Senate maintained contact with us,

00:10:21.02 --> 00:10:23.24
but then this contact was cut off

00:10:24.01 --> 00:10:28.18
They also filed a claim 
against unspecified individuals

00:10:28.18 --> 00:10:33.12
to signal to the public 
that we were working together,

00:10:33.12 --> 00:10:39.04
but there has been no further contact 
since the crime report was filed

00:10:39.15 --> 00:10:43.20
[ Sven ]It's really shameful 
that this was a real organisation,

00:10:43.20 --> 00:10:54.10
and the people behind it are still in a position to run it and continue to harm other children

00:10:54.10 --> 00:10:58.01
without any fear of reprisals

00:10:58.01 --> 00:11:02.03
because they are actually, 
so to speak, protected

00:11:02.03 --> 00:11:04.18
They don't protect the victims

00:11:04.18 --> 00:11:10.11
On the contrary, they protect the criminals

00:11:10.15 --> 00:11:16.20
We will remain victims until we have a chance to see justice being served
00:11:21.210 00:11:29.931
[ VO ]In a written statement to RT, the Berlin Senate said: '“One of the goals of the research on the Kentler case was to gain insight into the modern foster care system 
00:11:29.931 00:11:37.883
and draw lessons that could be applied in today's work.”
 “Further research cannot be limited to Berlin. 
00:11:37.883 00:11:46.693
The Senator for Education, Youth and Family announced that she would like the Conference of Ministers to address the issue of sexual abuse in the foster care system.”

00:11:51.16 --> 00:11:54.13
[ Sven ]I must say,

00:11:54.18 --> 00:11:58.16
I wasn't able to look at myself,  to admit to myself:

00:11:58.19 --> 00:12:03.08
'You are also a person, you are worthy of love'

00:12:03.11 --> 00:12:08.03
Or recognise that anyone else could accept me as a person

00:12:08.07 --> 00:12:13.04
If, for example, someone were to find out what happened to us,

00:12:13.08 --> 00:12:19.05
what happened to me personally, this alone would be psychologically difficult

00:12:20.17 --> 00:12:25.02
As for me, every day, you have to overcome yourself,

00:12:25.02 --> 00:12:27.01
fight with yourself,

00:12:27.01 --> 00:12:30.14
and motivate yourself to want to live on

00:12:30.14 --> 00:12:34.22
Because when you sit at home at night and all these images,

00:12:34.22 --> 00:12:40.16
this face, this voice come back to your memory, sometimes you lose the will to live

00:12:40.16 --> 00:12:43.09
Because you think:

00:12:43.09 --> 00:12:49.19
Why? I'm a person 
who does not deserve to be loved

00:12:49.19 --> 00:12:55.12
I was, and still am, the product of a child molester

00:12:56.08 --> 00:13:05.06
I'm trying, as I've said, 
to get back on my feet after all this,

00:13:05.06 --> 00:13:06.22
just like my brother

00:13:06.22 --> 00:13:12.22
And every day, 
no matter what happens, you fight to say

00:13:12.22 --> 00:13:17.17
that a new day has come, 
you've survived, you've endured it