Intergenerational Effects in Families of World War II Survivors from the Dutch East Indies

It is generally know that The Netherlands, along with many other European countries, was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II. It is less known that many Dutch, civilians and military alike, also suffered as a consequence of the war in the Far East. For three centuries, The Netherlands dominated a beautiful and exotic archipelago, presently known as the Republic of Indonesia. In 1942, the Japanese occupied the Dutch East Indies and terrorized those of European descent until the end of the war. In the years following World War II, most war victims who had special ties with the Dutch moved to The Netherlands. However, upon arrival, little or no attention was paid to the survivors from this former Dutch colony. Approximately halfway into the 1980s, it became clear that some children of East Indian war victims displayed symptoms and problems similar to those of, for instance, children of Holocaust survivors.