Eva Justin facts for kids
Eva Justin (born August 23, 1909 – died September 11, 1966) was a German scientist. She worked during the time of Nazi Germany. She focused on a harmful idea called scientific racism. This false idea claimed that some groups of people were better than others based on their race. Her work helped the Nazis commit terrible crimes against the Sinti and Roma peoples.
Early Life and Studies
Eva Justin was born in Dresden in 1909. Her father worked for the railroad. She first trained to be a nurse. Later, she became an assistant to a Nazi psychologist named Robert Ritter.
Justin earned her highest university degree, a doctorate in anthropology, in 1943. She got it from the University of Berlin. This was unusual because she did not follow the normal steps for a university degree. A scientist named Eugen Fischer guided her through her studies. Another expert, Richard Thurnwald, reviewed her main research paper. Justin was one of the first registered nurses to get a PhD.
She learned to speak the Romani language. This helped her gain the trust of Roma and Sinti people. Her research paper was about the lives of Romani children. It had a long title that meant "Life stories of Gypsy children and their families who were raised in a way not right for their kind." This title showed her harmful views.
Her Work During the Holocaust
The children Eva Justin studied were chosen to be sent away from their homes. This forced removal was delayed until she finished her research. After her studies were done, these children were sent to a special camp at Auschwitz. This happened on May 6, 1944.
Soon after they arrived, a doctor named Josef Mengele came to Auschwitz. Some of the children were used in his experiments. Most of them were later killed. About 39 or 40 children Justin had studied were sent to Auschwitz in 1944. All but four of them died before the war ended. Many died even before her research paper was published.
Justin was a senior member of the Race Hygiene Research Center. This group focused on ideas about "racial purity." She wrote that she hoped her work would lead to new laws. These laws would stop "unworthy" people from joining the German population. She believed that Romani people could not fit into society. She thought this was because of their "primitive thinking." She also said that trying to educate them should stop.
Justin suggested that Romani people should be sterilized. This means they would be unable to have children. She made an exception only for those with "pure Gypsy blood." She was present when the Sinti and Roma people were forced to move to concentration camps.
After World War II, in West Germany, Justin worked as a psychologist for the police in Frankfurt. She even advised the legal system on cases for people who survived the Holocaust. In 1958, an investigation started into her actions during the war. However, it was closed in 1960. The reason given was that the time limit for prosecuting crimes had passed. In 1964, judges in Frankfurt found there was not enough proof to charge her. They believed she did not know her ideas would lead to children being sent to camps. Eva Justin died from cancer in 1966 in Offenbach am Main.
See also
In Spanish: Eva Justin para niños
