The Children's Camp in Sisak – the systematic killing of children

The children's camp in Sisak was one of three children's concentration camps in Europe during the Second World War (alongside Łódź in Poland and Terezín in the Czech lands), and the only one not under the direct control of the Nazis.

Establishment and location

The camp was established on 3 August 1942 in Sisak, in the abandoned buildings of an old brickworks. Its official name was "Collection Camp for Children".

Purpose of the camp

The camp was created for:

• Children whose parents had been killed or taken to other camps
• Serbian children from Banija, Kordun, Lika
• The children of Partisans and anti-fascists
• Roma children
• To a lesser extent, Jewish children

The children's ages

From a few months to 16 years old. Most of the children were under 10 years old. There were also babies born in the camp or brought in with mothers who were then killed.

Number of victims

According to the documentation:

• Kozara Museum: 1,160 – 1,600 children
• Jasenovac Memorial Site: 1,696 documented names
• Some researchers: over 2,000

• Ranko Glamočanin – 1 day old (born in the camp)
• Mirko Škorvaga – 9 days
• Stoja Pavlović – 11 days
• Mila Radmanović – 14 days

Conditions in the camp

The children were held in appalling conditions:

• Hunger – minimal portions of food (potatoes and water)
• Cold – no heating in winter
• Diseases – typhus, dysentery, scabies
• Hygiene – non-existent, the children infested with lice
• Distress – the children often wept and called for their parents

Methods of murder

The children died of:

• Hunger – systematic starvation (the most common cause)
• Diseases – the deliberate neglect of sick children
• Injection of infected blood – some reports mention medical experimentation
• Transport to Jasenovac – older children transported to Jasenovac, where they were killed
• Direct murder – beating, drowning

Diana Budisavljević – rescuer of children

Diana Budisavljević (1891–1978), an Austrian-born humanitarian, organised a secret operation to rescue children from the camp:

• With the help of a network of good people, she rescued over 10,000 children from the NDH camps
• She forged documents, bribed Ustaše officials
• She arranged shelter with Croatian, Slovenian and Austrian families
• She kept a secret diary with the names of the rescued children
• After the war, communist Yugoslavia FORGOT about her (because she was Austrian-born)
• Only in 2012 did she receive recognition in Croatia
• In 2017 the film "The Diary of Diana Budisavljević" was made about her

Closure of the camp

The camp was closed in January 1943 under pressure from international and church protests. However:

• Most of the surviving children were transferred to Jasenovac
• Some of the children (about 800) were released, but many died of the after-effects
• A small number were returned to their families

Testimonies

Kamenko Brozović, a surviving child (he was 6 years old): "I was very hungry. They gave us only water and a little potato. Children were dying all around me. Every morning some ropes would tie up the dead children and carry them away. I cried and called for my mother, but my mother was not there. Later I learnt that they had killed her."

Dr. Kamilo Bresler, a doctor who visited the camp: "I saw a scene I will never forget. Hundreds of exhausted children, with bellies swollen from hunger, covered in sores and lice. Many barely alive. Medical assistance – none. It was a death sentence."

Today

On the site of the camp today there is:

• A memorial plaque with the names of some of the victims
• An annual commemoration – every year in August
• The "Diary of Diana Budisavljević" Association – keeping the memory alive

Why is this important to remember?

The children's camp in Sisak is:

• The only children's camp in Europe that was not run by the Germans
• Evidence of the systematic genocide against the Serbian people in the NDH
• An example of extreme brutality – the murder of the most helpless, the children
• The story of Diana Budisavljević – humanity in the midst of horror

"Whoever saw these children will never forget it." – Dr. Kamilo Bresler