Around the world there are many children who got born, because of their mothers were raped in a war. Society often repels and discriminates these children of war.
In Vietnam there are an estimated 30’000 of women that were raped by Korean soldiers in the Vietnam War. When Korea sided with America in the Vietnam War, they abducted and raped women and left these women to their own devices. In Vietnam these children of war are called “Lai Dai Han”.
They are children to Vietnamese mothers and Korean men.
Their socio-ecological stand is very difficult, for that the Vietnamese society doesn’t accept them. “The children of the enemy” and their mothers are treated like second class citizens.
Their families often live on the edge of the modern society. They will be sent away from their hometowns and the children won’t get proper education unless they hide their Korean origin
The women often keep silent about the rape out of shame and their children get bullied a lot at school for not having a father. Instead of helping the victims of rape, they will be rejected and discriminated against.
The Lai Dai Han are fighting for recognition of Korea for years, but Korea won’t apologize for their crimes. Even worse, Korea denies any wrong-doing and Vietnam doesn’t persecute them for the war crimes they’ve begun, only to keep peace.
These children of war are stuck in an unspeakable situation. They have no chance of getting a better stand in their society and they can’t flee to South Korea either.
The DNA tests they’ve gotten to proof their Heritages were never compared to any Korean databank, because Korea wants nothing to do with this.
Children of war around the world
In many countries around the world there are many children of women who were raped. Ukraine will probably have many soon and there are a lot of African countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda and Somalia that are facing the same problem as the Lai Dai Han. They are children of war that will grow up with no fathers and a traumatized mother. They already have bad experience and a more difficult time growing up with a single parent. It is not their mothers, nor their own fault to be born into this family situation. Government and NGOs around the world should educate and navigate people. The Lai Dai Han and all the other children of war shouldn’t be ashamed of their family history, and neither should the victims of rape. The predator / “father” who left should be blamed and the country committing the war crimes should be paying compensation.