Child Evacuations During World War II: This ShouldNot Happen Again

There is little research about the long-term effects on childrenthat were separated from their parents and moved fromFinland to Sweden during World War II. The aim of this studywas to capture these now-lifelong reflections, and so questionnaireswere sent to 14 potential participants. Ten personsaged 7381 responded. The themes that emerged concernedpride over professional achievements, the pain of separation,and feelings of alienation and loneliness. The informantsemphasized the importance of sibling relationships. The conclusionwas that the participants, despite the hardships connectedwith the migration, had successfully lived a good lifein Sweden.ARTICLE HISTORYReceived 16 July 2018Accepted 11 May 2018KEYWORDSFinnish war children; childseparations; childevacuation; importance ofsibling relationsA