Child refugees of the Greek Civil War

The evacuation of children, ( _el. Παιδομάζωμα), is a side effect of the Greek Civil War that afflict Greek society for decates. About thirty thousand underaged children were leaving in territories controled by DSE were relocated to Eastern Bloc countries. [C. M. Woodhouse, "Modern Greece", Faber and Faber, 1991, 1992, pp. 259.] Many others were moved to special camps of the Government of Athens, inside Greece and found in foster homes in US decadeslater [http://www.workmall.com/wfb2001/greece/greece_history_civil_war.html] [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3719/is_199707/ai_n8758886] . The issue drew the attention of the international public opinion, and a United Nations Special Committee issued a report, according to which "some children have in fact been forcibly removed". [Lars Barentzen, "The'Paidomazoma' and the Queen's Camps,", [http://books.google.com/books?id=zMr7EK3ms7AC&pg=PA129&dq=Greek+civil+war,+abductions,+children&ei=SMuRSLPcBIm2iwGu2MG5DA&sig=ACfU3U3ju6aDgzCKwQYAWoa1TKanLebYRQ#PPA135,M1 135-136] ] Communist leadership accepted that children were being gathered for the purpose of evacuating them from Greece, but they argued that this happened per the request of "the popular organizations and the parents". [Lars Barentzen, "The'Paidomazoma' and the Queen's Camps,", [http://books.google.com/books?id=zMr7EK3ms7AC&pg=PA129&dq=Greek+civil+war,+abductions,+children&ei=SMuRSLPcBIm2iwGu2MG5DA&sig=ACfU3U3ju6aDgzCKwQYAWoa1TKanLebYRQ#PPA135,M1 130] ] According to other researchers, the Greek government also followed a policy of displacement by adapting children of the guerrillas, and placing them in indoctrination camps. [Myrsiades, "Cultural Representation in Historical Resistance", [http://books.google.com/books?id=4V5bzyxHs7oC&pg=PA333&dq=Greek+civil+war,+abductions,+children&ei=SMuRSLPcBIm2iwGu2MG5DA&sig=ACfU3U0J5HfUP8xBrVMKg20Ka-NsQbio9Q 333] ]

According to Kenneth Spencer, member of the Balkan Comittee of UN by that time reported "Queen Federica has already prepared special "reforming camps" in grek islands for 12.000 greek children..." [Kenneth Spencer, "Greek Children," The New Statesman and Nation 39 (Jan. 14, 1950): 31-32. ] . According to official KKE historiography, no such abductions occurred, and any evacuations were undertaken for the children's own protection from the "National Army"; This is stated clearly to the decisions of the Provisional government on the 7 of March 1948, [ KKE, official Documents v6 1946-1949, pg474-476] .According to non-KKE accounts, the children were abducted to be indoctrinated as communist janissaries. [Richard Clogg, "A Concise History of Greece", Cambridge University Press, 1992, p. 141.] Several United Nations General Assembly resolutions appealed for the repatriation of children to their homes. [ [http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/051/07/IMG/NR005107.pdf?OpenElement Ods Home Page ] ]

After 50 years the truth regarding the "children abduction by KKE" is finally revealed. Many of these children have returned to Greece between 1975-1990 and their testimonies are ,often, other than the described anti-communist references. [ Dimitris Servou, "The Paidomazoma and who is afraid of Truth", 2001] , [ Thanasi Mitsopoulou "We brought up as Greeks" ,Θανάση Μητσόπουλου "Μείναμε Έλληνες" ] .

Furthermore, another side of the children abduction is now revealed: During the Civil War more than 25.000 of children, most of them with their parents belonging to DSE, were put in 30 "Children Towns" under the immediate control of Frederika of Hanover. After 50 years the majority of these children is found given to American families, searching their family background in Greece. ["Βήμα" 20.9.1947 ] , ["Νέα Αλήθεια" Λάρισας 5.12.1948] , [ "Δημοκρατικός Τύπος" 20.8.1950 ] , [ Δ. Κηπουργού: "Μια ζωντανή Μαρτυρία".- D.Kipourgou " A live testimony" ] , [ "The'Paidomazoma' and the Queen's Camps," in Lars Baerentzen et al.- Λαρς Μπαέρεντζεν: "Το παιδομάζωμα και οι παιδουπόλεις" ] , [ Δημ. Σέρβου: "Που λες... στον Πειραιά"- Dimitri Servou "Once upon a time...in Piraeus"] , [http://politikokafeneio.com/dse/dse87.htm ] .

ee also

* Greek Civil War
* Political refugees of the Greek Civil War

Notes