ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses the issue by seeking to define the category of children born of war. It provides a guide that identifies for the reader some of the key issues concerning children born of wartime sexual violence. A discussion and comparison of the different cases helps to illustrate that while specific in its attributes, the group comprising war-affected children spans global history and geography. The major cases of war babies born in the twentieth century, the chapter shows that the incidence of these children is not isolated to contemporary conflicts. The chapter explores some of the detriments experienced by children born of wartime sexual violence. It highlights how their identities are constructed, some of the political vulnerabilities they face, and why these children are analytically distinct from other war-affected children. The chapter explores the cases from the two World Wars, the Cold War, and contemporary conflicts and campaigns of ethnic cleansing.