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A war child refers to a child born to a native parent and a parent belonging to a foreign military force (usually an occupying force, but also military personnel stationed at military bases on foreign soil). Having a child by a member of a belligerent forces, throughout history and across cultures, is often considered a grave betrayal of social values. Commonly, the native parent (usually a woman) is disowned by family, friends, and society at large. The term "war child" is most commonly used for children born during World War II and its aftermath, particularly in relation to children born to fathers in German occupying forces in northern Europe. In Norway, there were also ''Lebensborn'' children. It is also applied to other situations, such as children born following the widespread rapes during the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities associated with the war of liberation. The discrimination suffered by the native parent and child in the postwar period did not take into account widespread rapes by occupying forces, or the relationships women had to form in order to survive the war years. The following article has extensive coverage of issues in Norway during and after World War II. ==Discrimination== Children with a parent who was part of an occupying force, or whose parent(s) collaborated with enemy forces, are innocent of any war crimes committed by parents. Yet these children have often been condemned by descent from the enemy and discriminated against in their society. They also suffer from association with a parent whose war crimes are prosecuted in the postwar years. As such children grew to adolescence and adulthood, many harbored feelings of guilt and shame. An example are the children born during and after World War II whose fathers were military personnel in regions occupied by Nazi-Germany. These children claim they lived with their identity in an inner exile until the 1980s, when some of them officially acknowledged their status. In 1987, Bente Blehr refused anonymity; an interview with her was published in ''Born Guilty'', a collection of 12 interviews with persons whose parent(s) had been associated with German forces in occupied Norway. The first autobiography by the child of a German occupying soldier and Norwegian mother was ''The Boy from Gimle'' (1993) by Eystein Eggen; he dedicated his book to all such children. It was published in Norway. During and in the aftermath of war, women have historically been censured who have voluntary relationships with military personnel of an occupying force. Women who became pregnant from such unions would often take measures to conceal the father's status. They commonly chose among the following: *Arrange a marriage with a local man, who would take responsibility for the child *Claim the father was unknown, dead, or had left, and bring up the child as a single mother *Acknowledge the relation; bring up the child as a single mother *Acknowledge the relation; accept welfare from the occupying force (see the German Lebensborn) *Place the child in an orphanage, or give the child up for adoption *Emigrate to the occupying country, and claim that identity *Have an abortion After the war, it was common for both mother and child to suffer repercussions from the local population. Such repercussions were widespread throughout Europe. While some women and children suffered torture and deportation, most acts against them fell into one or several of the following categories: *Name calling: ''German whore'' and ''German kid'' were common labels *Isolation or harassment from the local community and at schools *Loss of work *Shaving the heads of the mothers, which was frequently done in the immediate aftermath of the war *Temporary placement in confinement or internment camps While repercussions were most widespread immediately after the war, sentiments against the women and their children lingered into the 1950s, 60s, and beyond. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「War children」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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