More than 150 women forced to give up their babies for adoption have so far reported their experiences to a special register set up by the justice ministry and launched on October 1.

‘Many of the stories are heart-rending and some mothers are sharing their experiences after years of silence,’ register spokeswoman Miral Scheffer told RTL Nieuws.

The register is open to women who were made to hand over their children in the period 1956 to 1984 because they were unmarried. Figures from Radbout University show some 15,000 children were adopted during this period.

The information collected will form part of the inquiry announced by junior justice minister Sander Dekker into the circumstances under which unmarried women parted with their babies.

Earlier this month, Trouw reported on the case of Trudy Scheele-Gertsen (73) who is suing the state for emotional damage, claiming it flouted Dutch and international law, by forcing her to give up her child.

The register will remain open until next June.