A tale of two war babies

In September this year, Merina Begum, a destitute woman from Tarash, Sirajganj, appealed to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, seeking state recognition. 

Who is Merina and why does she need to state recognition, you might ask.

Merina is a war child. Her mother Pochi Begum was a Birangana, or war heroine. In her appeal, Merina said she no longer wanted her children to be embarrassed about their mother's birth history, she wanted them to feel proud because they too, like Merina, are a part of the Liberation War. 

In 1971, Pochi Begum was a widow with six children. "When she was six months pregnant, my mother tried to kill herself by taking poison. But she survived, [and] so did I," Merina shared with us. "My mother could not breastfeed me, my elder brother's wife saved me with her milk."

Merina grew up with her mother and siblings. Like every Birangana and her child who suffered endlessly through no fault of theirs, Merina and her mother too could not escape the unholy stigma associated with war children. "I was called a 'jaroj shontan' (illegitimate child)."

For Merina and thousands of others like her, stigma is one part of the problem. By dint of the fact that they are unable to identify or mention the name of their birth father, they are also often deprived or excluded from a number of facilities provided by the government, including filing an application for a government job. 

Based on Merina Begum's appeal, in October of this year, the Jatiya Muktijodhha Council proposed giving state recognition to war children so they are no longer required to put a father's name on any application and have rightful access to state facilities. A gazette will be published once the cabinet approves the proposal.    

According to Mustafa Chowdhury's book '71-er Judhhoshishu Obidito Itihash', there are an estimated 5,000 people who were born as war babies in 1971 and 1972. Many of Merina's contemporaries ended up being adopted into families in Canada and many countries of Europe. Their lives ended up being vastly different from the war babies who grew up in Bangladesh. 

For the last 50 years, there has been much talk about recognising and rehabilitating Biranganas and war children, especially when 26 March and 16 December comes around every year. In fact, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972 had declared his name be put in as the father's name for every war child. And yet, as we delved deeper into the treatment of women and children who suffered as a result of the war, a dismal picture of neglect and humiliation emerges. 

"Why do we not see more war children raising their voices about their rights?" asked Mustafa Chowdhury during a recent interview. "Why are fear and embarrassment associated with their names? We are running out of time, it has been 50 years already," he said. 

Shunned at home, welcomed abroad

In 1972, the Bangladesh government created the National Board of Bangladesh Women's Rehabilitation Programme to look after the women, and also to make a list of how many of them were abused at the hands of the Pakistani Army. According to the board's primary survey, the number of rape victims may have been 2,68,200. An Italian medical team said at that time the figure could be 4,00,000 or even more. The government's official figure stands at 3,00,000.  

Australian surgeon and director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) Dr Geoffrey Davis, who came to Bangladesh in 1972, said more than 2,00,000 women had become pregnant. Many of them went through abortions. 

In his book, 71-er Judhhoshishu Obidito Itihash - a prolific collection of interviews of war children and their adoptive parents in Canada and other facts and information on the war children of 1971 - Mustafa Chowdhury describes in detail how the war children were neglected and thought of as burdens by people in Bangladesh. 

Mustafa said he knew of a war child adopted in Bangladesh whose parents never reveal the child's birth history to anyone fearing the society's backlash. 

"I respect their privacy but war children who grew up abroad did not have to face any negative repercussions. If anything, they are rather proud of their identity and background. But in Bangladesh, war children are not accepted under any context, be it social or religious."

"People from abroad who adopted the children thought of them as blessings; they wanted to save the children and love them and nurture them in the best possible ways. As for the children, they may have had trouble adjusting to their past, but now they are adults and have come to terms with it," he said.

Shama Jameela Mollie Hartt is one such child who arrived in Canada when she was 10 weeks old. Soft-spoken Shama is a teacher and a mother of a young daughter, Savannah Bonnell. 

While growing up, Shama did not hear much about the Liberation War and what had really happened. But when she found out, it was a lot to take in and it was overwhelming for her. 

"I did not experience anything like being ostracised; I know I was fortunate. I find it very heartbreaking that it has been 50 years and people are still dealing with the war's aftermath."

Shama and Savannah came to Bangladesh in 2017 along with author Mustafa Chowdhury. Shama visited the Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity where she was born. She said it was a really good trip, one that was also enlightening for her. 

"I knew my story and my circumstances about my birth, but I came to know what really happened when I came to Bangladesh," she said, adding, "I only learned about the Bangladeshi government making amends in 2018, I am glad people are now coming forward to talk about these things."

She was happy to hear about the story of Merina Begum but also voiced frustration about the government's slow progress. 

"I am happy things are progressing for women who suffered during the war. But is the government really stepping up? Everything just seems really slow from their end. But I hope the next generation benefits from whatever steps they [the government] take."

How the likes of Shama ended up in Canada

On 21 December 1971, Mother Teresa came to Dhaka to meet the then President Syed Nazrul Islam, who more than welcomed her to help the Bangladeshi women in need. In January of 1972, she came again with a team of four nuns and two nurses and established the Shishu Bhaban under The Missionaries of Charity in Islampur. Pregnant women were encouraged to come here and give birth in private. They were also told they could leave their children here and that they would be taken care of by the authorities. 

In fact, many such shelters were built across Bangladesh where women could safely get abortions or give birth without revealing their identities. Most of the babies born were malnourished and in poor health; some of them were born before reaching full-term and died. 

Despite the many measures taken by the post-war government, it was struggling hard to ensure the identities of war children did not stop at being 'abandoned' or 'unclaimed'. Adoption was a complicated process in 1972. It in fact still is, as Bangladeshi law does not allow for Muslim parents to adopt; they can only be granted guardianship of the child. However, Bangladesh Abandoned Children (Special Provisions) Order, 1972 was made to facilitate the adoption of war children by foreigners. 

Bonnie and Fred Cappuccino, their friends Helke and Robert Ferrie and Elizabeth Mowling, took the first of 15 war children to Canada. Each of them adopted one child while Robert and Helke adopted two children. Others were adopted by different Canadian families. 

Steps yet to be taken 

In an article by Naureen Rahim - former coordinator at the Centre for the Study of Genocide and Justice, Liberation War Museum and currently a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo - she mentioned a case in 2014 where a war child called Shamsun Nahar testified before the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh. 

The tribunal recognised that war children were "the secondary victims of sexual violence caused during the Liberation War of 1971" and directed the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs "to initiate prompt and necessary steps first, in a coordinated way, to identify war-time rape victims and 'war babies' as the secondary victims of rape and then to formulate effective programs aiming to honour them, and reduce the problems they sustained from the trauma and stigma, and also to make an arrangement of providing monthly honoraria. It is to be done to remove the scar imprinted not only to rape victims but to society and the nation." 

It has been more than eight years since the direction was given but the steps are yet to be taken.

"The social stigma regarding war children exists to this day. The government has not done anything yet to welcome them (the ones who were adopted by couples abroad) back to Bangladesh, or at least give a proper welcome to those who come back to Bangladesh in search of their roots," Mustafa Chowdhury said. 

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said, "War children will not need to put in a father's name for job applications etc, simply stating N/A will be enough. It will be mentioned in their NIDs (National Identity Cards) as well. They can apply for government jobs too. Not being able to put in a father's name will not stop them from getting what is rightfully theirs." 

He said Biranganas are treated the same as freedom fighters and those who are registered receive a government allowance of Tk20,000 every month. 

"If Birangana's children are registered, they too will receive the allowance. If they are not registered, there is not much we can do." The minister added that at present they have no plans to do anything for war children. 

Hope lingers for Merina

Merina's husband, an autovan driver, who passed away in 2005. She lives in a ramshackle house with her three sons and one daughter. Her eldest son also drives an autovan while the two others operate a tea stall. In 2018, her children began to receive the government allowance for freedom fighters. 

"My mother could not live to see the allowance, what a pity!" 

After submitting her application, Merina is now waiting for a document from the Jatiya Muktijodhha Council's office in Dhaka, which she will then submit to the Minister of Liberation War Affairs. And shortly afterwards she will hopefully get state recognition.  

"I am uneducated, could not ever hold a job. I have lived in poverty all my life. Now, all I want is state recognition as a war child. I have come all this way, let us see what Allah has written for me," she said.