The International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and counters all forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. Holocaust victims are estimated to be about 17,3 millions of people, amongst whom were Jews, soviet prisoners, soldiers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roma, homosexuals, people with disabilities and more.
Women were extremely vulnerable during the holocaust, as they were victims of repeated violence, forced labor, rape and forced sexual relations for food or other necessities. Pregnant women often tried to conceal their pregnancies or were forced to submit to abortions. Pregnancy sometimes resulted for Polish, Soviet, or Yugoslav forced laborers from sexual relations with German men. If so-called "race experts" determined that the child was not capable of "Germanization," the women were generally forced to have abortions, sent to give birth in makeshift nurseries where conditions would guarantee the death of the infants, or simply shipped to the region they came from without food or medical care.
Children were, also, not safe during this period of time that Nazis tried to achieve the refinement of the population in order to create their New Nation, which the Master Race would be leading. The Nazis advocated killing children of “unwanted” or “dangerous” groups either as part of the “racial struggle” or as a measure of preventative security. Over 1,6 millions of children got killed in several ways. Adolescents (13–18 years old) had a greater chance of survival, as they could be used for forced labor.
The fates of Jewish and non-Jewish children can be categorized in the following ways:
Children killed when they arrived in killing centers
Children killed immediately after birth or in institutions
Children born in ghettos and camps who survived because prisoners hid them
Children, usually over age 12, who were used as forced laborers and as subjects of medical experiments
Children killed during reprisal operations or so-called anti-partisan operations.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Day was established in order to remind everyone to denounce racism and anti-Semitism. No more people have to get through what so many did. Human is the supreme value of our modern and free society! We strongly encourage you to contact us in whatever way suits you and discuss the article, suggest ideas for upcoming content, tell us your strong and emotional stories or for any other reason you would like.
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Reference List:
Database of Holocaust Survivors and Victims, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org)
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco.org)
Children during the Holocaust, Holocaust Encyclopedia (encyclopedia.ushmm.org)
Women during the Holocaust, Holocaust Encyclopedia (encyclopedia.ushmm.org)
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