Germany
They Took Our Daughter
By Steven Little
CBN News
CWNews.com–ERLANGEN, Germany - In the Bavarian town of Erlangen, a girl is missing. She was taken from her parents in a SWAT-style police raid last month that some are calling an abduction.
She was taken because German officials consider her family to be dangerous.
Their name is Busekros. Why do German officials think they're dangerous? You may find the reasons hard to believe.
This story began when 15-year-old Melissa Busekros began to have a bad experience in public school and fell behind in some classes. So her parents, Hubert and Gudrun, decided to homeschool her.
But in Germany, homeschooling is treated like a crime. Some German homeschoolers have been accused of treason, and they have been persecuted without mercy by the state.
Last year, CBN News told you about some homeschooling parents from Paderborn who were sent to jail. But in the Busekros' case, the parents were left alone.
This time, the police came for the child, and took her away.
Melissa's mom Gudrun said, "My other children started talking to the policemen and saying, "Why are you doing this? It's not right." And we didn't know if we would see her again -- and the brothers and sisters, they were crying."
Melissa was taken twice. The first time to a psychiatrist and given a psychiatric evaluation, after which she was diagnosed with something officials called "school phobia."
She was returned home. But the police came a second time and took her into state custody.
So Melissa was taken from her parents in Erlangen, brought to Nuremberg, and placed in a mental hospital -- with real mental patients.
She was housed with teens that were severely depressed and had attempted suicide.
Her story quickly spread around the world, and letters of support began pouring in. But youth welfare officials would not let Melissa see them.
"A lot of people wrote her from the U.S.A., from Germany, from England," said Gudrun. "The youth welfare office took the letters and told us they cannot give them to her because they might be dangerous."
One of the leaders of the German homeschooling movement, Joerg Grosseluemern, who himself has had to pay heavy fines for homeschooling, calls Melissa Busekros a "hostage."
He said that she was "abducted" by authorities, perhaps to ensure that the family would not try to flee Germany, as some persecuted homeschoolers have done.
It is the latest tactic being used to stamp out homeschooling.
"I think this is the worst case we have ever experienced in the home schooling movement here in Germany," Joerg said. "…It is horrifying, not only for the Busekros family, it's horrifying for all homeschooling parents…it's…also a weapon for the other youth welfare offices to use to take children from other families."
The head of Erlangen Youth Welfare Office, Edeltraud Hölleren, refused our request for an on-camera interview, but in a phone call insisted that the Busekros case is not about homeschooling.
And in fact, the agency's psychiatric evaluation of the girl, mentions something else: her devotion and obedience to her father Hubert, which is portrayed as a mental disorder.
The evaluation says that Melissa is "a highly disturbed girl who obediently and faithfully obeys the idealistic statements of her father and who describes the State as being despotic and 'fascist-like'."
It adds, with a concerned tone, that "Melissa demonstrates loyalty towards her father and unconditional solidarity with her family."
"They say I am influencing the children too much…," said Hubert. "They want to stop any influence of the father."
Joerg said, "If you have a good relationship to your children -- a very close relationship like in the Busekros case, it seems to be in the eyes of the officials, something which is dangerous."
The Busekros' attorney Gabriela Eckermann told a judge in the case, "For the Erlangen Youth Welfare Office, 15 year olds only seem to be "normal" if they live according to their own wishes…if they do not love their parents…but…rebel against them cooperate with…the police, court, youth welfare office and experts…against their own parents."
Gudrun said, "…that our daughter is loyal to us or has the same convictions we have? This is not normal for them."
"For us, it's very important to be able to bring our children up without being directed by the state or government officials, because it's the right of the parent alone to bring up their children," said Hubert.
The German Youth Welfare Office, or Jugendamt, has an unfortunate history. It was used by the Nazis to subvert the authority of parents and take state control of children.
Germany's anti-homeschooling laws also have their roots in Adolf Hitler.
Today's laws still read like the Nazi compulsory education law.
Melissa is now with a foster family at a secret location while a court fight continues.
Hubert and Gudrun are only allowed to see their one hour a week. And there are fears that the police may return, and take their other five children, as well.
"I know that God is helping us," Gudrun said, "but humanly speaking, we have no help against these people…what can we do against them? You feel very helpless again the officials."
Joerg said that German homeschoolers urgently need American help.
"Homeschoolers in Germany are about 200, 300, 400 -- and we have no political voice, no voice in society," he said.
As the Busekros await the outcome of the trial, they pray that their daughter will be returned.
Gudrun said, "You ask yourself, what have I don't wrong that this must happen to me? Like a very very bad family…the children are taken away from bad families who beat their children all the time or don't give food to them. And what have I done that this happens to me? "
Hubert added, "It's very, very sad."
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