Our work hasn’t paused — even if our newsletters did for a moment. Thank you for sticking with us, we’re excited to share what we’ve been working on in the last few months.
New DRC Pilot Project
The CBOW Project has been invited to take part in the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies’ pilot on “Adressing the needs of children conceived in sexual violence in conflict settings”. Chairwoman Ingvill Ødegaard contributed to a training session on children born of war, which took place digitally September 11th 2024.
Human Rights Prize to Forgotten Children of War Association
In November, the University of Oslo announced that Ajna Jusić, Alen Muhič, and Lejla Damon receive the University of Oslo’s Human Rights Award 2024 for their pioneering work on behalf of Bosnian children born of rape during the Bosnian War 1992-1995.
Having been engaged with the Forgotten Children of War Association since its establishment in 2015, members of the CBOW Project and Born of War International Network (BOW i.n.) are delighted to see that European war children continue to raise their voices at the public and political agenda, to fight for the visibility and recognition of the human rights of children born of war worldwide.
Read more on the award and The Forgotten Children of War Association here.
Considerations for Policymakers to secure the Rights of Children Born of War
In November, CBOW Project Chairwoman Ingvill Ødegaard, together with Emily Prey, Director of Gender Policy at New Lines, published a policy dossier on children born of war, featuring recommendations for policymakers. The dossier includes reflections from stakeholders in Bosnia, Cameroon, Uganda, and Ukraine on the needs and challenges faced by children born of war in various conflict and post-conflict contexts. Read the dossier here.
Welcome Torunn!
Torunn Festøy joined our team as an advisor in January. She will focus on seeking funding for new and ongoing projects as well as social media communication, drawing on her background in project management and strategic communication. Torunn holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Oslo and international experience from Mozambique and Portugal.
Exhibition on Children of the Lebensborn
On 28 March, Kunsthal Rotterdam opened the exhibition Lebensborn by photographer Angeniet Berkers. The exhibition showcases the powerful and deeply personal stories behind her book Lebensborn – Birth Politics in the Third Reich, which delves into one of the darkest and lesser-known chapters of the Second World War. The book also features an essay by CBOW Project Chairwoman Ødegaard, reflecting on the long-term psychological and social effects experienced by children born through the Lebensborn programme.
The exhibition is open at Kunsthal Rotterdam until 13 July 2025. If you are in or near the city, we highly recommend a visit.
The Annual Report for 2024 is now available
The report includes information on the publications, activities and engagements in policy development and advocacy the CBOW Project has been involved in throughout 2024.
Read the report here.
Survey for Practitioners and Researchers: Addressing Stigma Affecting Survivors of Sexual Violence
The Geneva Centre and the ICRC will co-host an event on 19 June focusing on the stigma surrounding sexual violence. Ahead of the event, they are gathering input from practitioners and researchers on how the humanitarian system is addressing stigma that impacts survivors of sexual violence. These insights will help inform the global discussion during the event.
The questionnaire is brief, and they are particularly seeking more responses from researchers. We encourage our network to take part — your perspectives and experiences, especially concerning children, are vital.You can find the questionnaire here.
Publications & Media
Podcast on Norwegian CBOW
A podcast by the University of Oslo explores the experiences of Norwegian children born of war, who grew up as “children of the enemy” in post-Second World War Norway. Norwegian CBOW Gerd Fleischer, Professor Inger Skjelsbæk — project leader of the ERC-funded EuroWARCHILD project and board member of the CBOW Project — and Professor Dag Ellingsen, author of the study Living Conditions of Norwegian War Children, discuss experiences and research findings.
The podcast is available in Norwegian here.
Podcast on Uganda
In February of this year, Komakech Wilfred, program director at the Children Born of War Project’s partner organization, The Grassroots Reconciliation Group (GRG), was interviewed by the BBC. He shared his personal experience of being abducted and conscripted as a child soldier, his journey through rehabilitation, and how he now supports others in similar situations through his work at GRG.
You can listen to the segment here, from 11.22.
Book review of Children and Youth at Risk
A review by Flavia Guerrini of Children and Youth at Risk in Times of Transition by Borge, Kleinau and CBOW Project Chairwoman Ødegaard is now available in English on our website. The review was first published in German in: Bildung und Erziehung, 78 (2025), 1, pp-161-163.
Documentary Sheds Light on Rwanda’s Children Born of War
Thirty years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, a new documentary, The Things We Don’t Say, directed by Ornella Mutoni, brings to the forefront the stories of children born of war in its aftermath.The Things We Don’t Say is a contemplative and layered short documentary that allows the audience to observe the individual and intergenerational legacies of mass violence, and the power of listening for collective healing. It documents the struggles children born of war often face: stigma, identity crises, silence, and the lasting weight of inherited trauma. The film is available for viewing through Guardian Documentaries.
New publication by affiliate expert Elke Kleinau in German
Schmid, Rafaela og Elke Kleinau. 2025. «Zur Bedeutung des Vaters im Diskurs über Besatzungskinder. Ein psychoanalytischer Gegenentwurf zu biologistischen Identitätsvorstellungen» Bildung und Erziehung 78 (1): 6–22.
The CBOW Project Newsletter is published end April, end August and end December
If you have any information you would like to have included, please send it to info@cbowproject.org by the 15th of the respective month.