Between 200,000 and 400,000 women and girls were raped by Pakistani soldiers and supporters during the 1971 War of Liberation of Bangladesh, one of the forgotten genocides of the 20th century. The conflict, which lasted 9 months, ended with the surrender of Pakistani forces after the intervention of Indian troops, resulting in millions of refugees fleeing to India. It resulted in the independence of Bangladesh and thousands of babies born of sexual violence during wartime. Estimates vary, but 25,000 pregnancies are thought to have resulted, and up to 10,000 babies were delivered, either adopted abroad post-war or brought up in Bangladesh, facing many challenges. The fate of children born as a consequence of rape during the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide and their integration into society raises questions about identity, recognition, and justice in post-conflict reconstruction.
War-time sexual violence during the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide
The Bangladesh genocide provides a traumatic example of rape being used as a weapon of war by soldiers who were allegedly encouraged to impregnate as many women as possible. After the war came to an end on December 16th, 1971 thousands of traumatised women were rescued from shelters and military-style rape camps across the country, in many cases pregnant and in need of medical attention.
Due to society’s discomfort with the birth of war babies fathered by enemy soldiers, many women committed suicide, disappeared to avoid ostracism from their community, or abandoned their babies for fear of stigma. Many tried to take abortion into their own hands, putting their own lives at risk or resorted to informal arrangements after delivery.
Policies surrounding the treatment of victims of rape during wartime and their children vary depending on the country and highlight national narratives and social assumptions about identity. For example, some countries encouraged abortions or adoptions because of shame or undesirable genetics, while others perceived war babies as an opportunity to repopulate the country post-conflict.
The fate of the war children, discrimination, and stigma
In response to the numerous births and child abandonments, the post-conflict government in Bangladesh, led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, implemented different initiatives and referred to victims of wartime sexual violence as Birangona – meaning war heroine, brave, and blameless.
The government also established the Bangladesh Women’s Rehabilitation Board to provide shelter and support to survivors and their newborns in an effort to reintegrate them into society. Temporary legislation allowing later abortions was also introduced, delivery/abortion clinics were set up, and foreign medical practitioners were brought in to help with unwanted pregnancies and high-risk procedures.
Taking into account the potential rejection and discrimination of the war children in Bengali society, adoption was identified as the best option for the protection of the child. However, Bangladesh had no formal legislation on adoptions at the time. In 1972, the government passed the Bangladesh Abandoned Children (Special Provisions) Order to provide a legal basis for adoptions and allow for a sped-up process.
An international adoption campaign ensued, and thousands of children born to wartime rape victims were adopted in countries including Canada, the United States, Norway, and the UK. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, non-profit organisations and missionaries, including Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity with Sister Margaret Mary, worked together to ensure legal adoptions in the best interest of children Most children had little or no information about the circumstances of their adoption or birth parents, and many are now attempting to understand and reconnect with their roots.
There are profound differences in the way the children of wartime rape victims are perceived. The language used by society, the media, and the government plays an important role in framing narratives that significantly impact the way children born during wartime and their mothers are treated. In Bangladesh, these children were widely referred to as ‘unwanted children’, subjecting them to discrimination.
The traumatic origins of children born of sexual violence during wartime often lead to enduring challenges which shape their treatment by their families, communities, and society. In Bangladesh, like in most post-conflict situations, children born of wartime sexual violence and their mothers serve as a physical reminder of traumatic events. As a result, these children suffered discrimination growing up in Bangladesh and were marginalised due to social stigmatisation attached to their origins. Most suffer from generational trauma and the lack of systematic support.
Their mothers were often ostracised by their communities and had to raise their babies in difficult socio-economic situations. Many were not or could not be registered at birth, and some have still not been issued a birth certificate. This situation has led to issues of legal citizenship and access to rights such as formal health, education, and employment systems. War children have long struggled to obtain recognition for the unique psychological, social, economic, and legal challenges they face, which affect their integration into society and their ability to live their lives freely.
Transitional justice, testimonies and recognition
In recent years, the international community and human rights organisations have urged countries to establish national legislation addressing the needs of children born of war. International Criminal Court cases and policies have also confirmed that children born of sexual and gender-based violence in conflicts are direct victims of war and eligible for reparation. Transitional justice, by empowering victims and holding perpetrators accountable, is crucial in fighting impunity for war crimes.
After the end of the war, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India agreed not to pursue charges against Pakistani soldiers for war crimes, leaving victims longing for justice and accountability. In 2010, Sheikh Hasina’s government established the International Crimes Tribunal to pursue local collaborators of the Pakistani army in an effort to seek justice and accountability for atrocities committed during the war.
In 2014, the ICT rendered a judgement on the case of a rape victim and her daughter, acknowledging the struggles they both endured after the war and instructing the government to establish a programme to support war babies. However, human rights groups have raised concerns regarding the court’s neutrality, respect for due process, and compliance with international standards, stating that the government at the time appeared to go after its political opponents rather than put the war babies first.
As the international community, including the United Nations, has yet to officially recognise the Bangladesh genocide, the Bangladesh government has made efforts to document the atrocities and raise awareness worldwide. However, there are significant gaps in the official history of the conflict. Despite witnesses and thousands of survivors with detailed testimonies, the stigma and shame associated with the traumatic events led to a lack of documentation in regard to the widespread sexual violence experienced by women and the children born as a result. Stories have been kept concealed in families and history books, and few in the region talk about it, including in Pakistan, where most information on the subject has been suppressed.
In recent years, tremendous initiatives have focused on giving mothers and children a voice, mainly by female scholars and journalists from Bangladesh. Many books, movies, and documentaries share their testimonies, including Leesa Gazi’s award-winning documentary Rising Silence and M. Chowdhury’s book Picking Up the Pieces: 1971 War Babies’ Odyssey from Bangladesh to Canada.
In October 2022, the government announced it was ready to give state recognition to children born out of rape during the genocide. This development would make them eligible for benefits and rights without disclosing the name of their father, including for job applications. The announcement came shortly after the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs received an application from Merina Khatun, the daughter of a war heroine, requesting state recognition. In 2024, she became the first to be acknowledged by the state as a ‘war child’. Still, for the war children, who are turning 54 years old this year, the lack of recognition, awareness, documentation, and legal visibility remains an open wound.
As conflict-related sexual violence persists, continuing to result in pregnancies, while there remains a lack of international policy on the matter, national post-conflict policies have a responsibility to provide systematic support to children born of wartime sexual violence and their mothers, ensuring their rights are upheld and addressing the specific socio-economic, legal, and psychological needs of the vulnerable group in efforts to break the stigma and prevent marginalisation.
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