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Forced to Move: Remembering Children's Displacement and Migration in WWII and its Aftermath in East-Central Europe

Thu, November 20, 3:00 to 4:45pm EST (3:00 to 4:45pm EST), -

Session Submission Type: Panel

Brief Description

Holocaust survivors, refugees, and especially unaccompanied children, serve as poignant symbols of children who are victims of war violence. While one might expect such violence to cease once a war ends, this is often not the case. The immediate postwar period – the transition from war to peace– is marked by uncertainty and a tense waiting for what comes next. After the end of hostilities in World War II, millions of children found themselves in this precarious position throughout the former Third Reich and East Central Europe. These included Holocaust survivors in Hungary, young refugees in (current) Slovakia – both German expellees as well as settlers who replaced them – Czech children from Lidice, and Polish children born to forced laborers and DPs.

This situation was the result of coercion, but the solutions offered were not without their own forms of violence, particularly in the case of neglected children. Various actors made decisions for these children in the name of their best interests, but these interests were understood in divergent ways. Institutional care was intended to aid rehabilitation, but years later, testimonies reveal that the memories of children’s time in these centers are often painful, much like the memories of forced migration. By examining the experiences of four groups of children, we can explore their fates through the lens of time, considering how such extreme experiences shape their lives. These examples also serve as a stark warning for today, as children continue to be among the first victims of adult conflicts in contemporary wars.

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