Editing Colonia Dignidad (section)

== Life under Schäfer’s leadership==

Before coming to Chile, Schäfer had attempted to start an orphanage in Germany, but two mothers living there accused him of molesting their children, so to escape judicial consequences, he fled to Chile.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |url=https://theamericanscholar.org/the-torture-colony/ |title=The Torture Colony |first=Bruce |last=Falconer |work=[[The American Scholar (magazine)|The American Scholar]] |date=2008-09-01 |access-date=2019-05-10}}</ref> Schäfer arrived in Chile in 1961 with around 70 followers, and a number of kidnapped children. The colony continued to 'import' children from Germany and the surrounding areas until the end of Schäfer's leadership. Colonia Dignidad grew to have about 350 people, around 100 of whom were children.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Unholy Alliance: A History of Nazi Involvement in the Occult |last=Levenda |first=Peter |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury Academic]] |year=2002 |isbn=0826414095 |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/unholyalliancehi00leve }}</ref> Those on the side of the colony said that it was a harmless organization, but, those against it recounted it as [[Tyrant|tyrannical]] in structure, and highly restrictive in terms of interaction between genders and in expression of sexuality, with a reportedly [[Population ageing|aging population]]. The perimeter of the colony was made up of barbed wire, searchlights, and a watchtower.<ref name=Fiefdom/> Today the colony is not as isolated as it was under Schäfer's leadership; Schäfer made great efforts to keep the colony as isolated as he could. The road to the colony cut through farmland and forest, and brought the traveler to a large barbed-wire fence that was generally heavily protected. Inside, however, the colony seemed fairly normal, though a bit old-fashioned:<blockquote>The village had modern apartment complexes, two schools, a chapel, several meetinghouses, and a bakery that produced fresh cakes, breads, and cheeses. There were numerous animal stables, two landing strips, at least one airplane, a hydroelectric power station, and mills and factories of various kinds, including a highly profitable gravel mill that supplied raw materials for numerous road-building projects throughout Chile. On the north side of the village was a hospital, where the Germans provided free care to thousands of patients in one of the country's poorest areas.<ref name=":4"/></blockquote>Schäfer, despite living in Chile for most of his adult life, spoke little Spanish, as only German was spoken inside the colony. He was described as having a very serious demeanor, and rarely smiled, but was considered to be quite charismatic nonetheless. He made great efforts to illustrate Colonia Dignidad as a utopian paradise, seemingly frozen in a time before World War II.<ref name=":4" /> In reality, Schäfer ran a fear-based colony where members were barred from interacting with the world outside the community, and a few were armed to protect the community against possible outside attacks.<ref name=":3" /> The inhabitants lived under an abnormal [[authoritarian]] system, where in addition to minimal contact with the outside, Schäfer ordered the division of families (children  did not talk to their parents, or did not know their siblings). It prohibited all kinds of relations, sentimental or [[Marriage|conjugal]], among adult women and men, and segregated the living quarters by sex. Schäfer sexually abused children and some were tortured, as is clear from the statements of the German Dr. [[Gisela Seewald]], who admitted the use of [[electroshock therapy]] and [[sedatives]] that her boss had claimed were [[placebos]]. Members were often encouraged to confess to him both their own sins, and the sins of others that they had witnessed. Supposed sinners were often publicly outed and shamed during gathering times and meals. Women were thought to be inherently sinful, plagued by sexuality, thus the justification behind separating the men from the women.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Schäfer often dictated the formation of romantic relationships, such as deciding when people could get married and have children. Most of the time, however, conceptions of the family inside the colony were based not on genetics, but on loyalty to Schäfer, who self-identified as "The Permanent Uncle." When children were born, they would be raised by nurses in groups segregated by sex rather than their biological parents. Males would initially be placed in a group called "The Babies", then advance to "The Wedges" by age 6, "The Army of Salvation" by 15, "The Elder Servants" by the mid-30s, and lastly, "The Comalos" by 50. Females were divided into "The Dragons," "The Field Mice," "The Women's Group," and "The Grannies" at the same respective ages. This was done in an effort to give everyone an exact role in the colony's order. Group members shared living spaces of about six to one room, and all wore similar German 30s-style clothing. Each person would work 12+ hours a day, receiving no payment, but doing so rather for the sake of Colonia Dignidad.<ref name=":4" />

The colony had a school and hospital in the enclave which offered support to rural families through free education and health services. This would, ultimately, create support in case the colony was attacked. However, there are many cases uncovered in recent years that refer to [[Adoption fraud|illegal adoptions]] of children from families residing in the surrounding areas by the German [[hierarchy]] in order to deliver on the promise of free education. Locals around the colony generally knew Colonia Dignidad to be made up of hygienic, hard-working individuals who led a very structured life.<ref name=":4" />