Germaine Marie-Thérèse Hannevart

Germaine Marie-Thérèse Hannevart
Born(1887-08-08)8 August 1887
Leuze-en-Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium
Died24 April 1977(1977-04-24) (aged 89)
Alma materUniversité libre de Bruxelles
EmployerÉmile Jacqmain High School
Organization(s)International Federation of University Women (IFUW)
Belgian Federation of University Women (FBFU)
Porte Ouverte
Comité Mondial des Femmes contre la Guerre et le Fascisme (CMF)
Office Internationale pour l’Enfance (OIE)

Germaine Marie-Thérèse Hannevart (8 August 1887 – 24 April 1977) was a Belgian biology teacher and women's rights activist. She became a pacifist and peace campaigner after her fiancé was killed in World War I. She was co-founder of the Belgian branch of the Comité Mondial des Femmes contre la Guerre et le Fascisme (CMF) [fr] and was head of the Belgian branch of the Office Internationale pour l’Enfance (OIE).

Biography

Hannevart was born on 8 August 1887 in Leuze-en-Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium.[1][2] A younger sister called Constance was born the following year in Quiévrain.[3] Their father was Auguste Hannevart, a teacher and education inspector.[3]

Hannevart became a pacifist after her fiancé was killed in World War I.[1] In 1949, Hannevart stated that "War is repugnant because it has measured all stupidity."[1]

Hannevart was interest in bacteriology. She studied biology at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and graduated in 1922.[3] After grduating, Hannevart taught at the prestigious Émile Jacqmain High School in Brussels.[4]

Hannevart was a member of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW, now Graduate Women International).[5] She was a founding member of the Belgian Federation of University Women (FBFU) in 1921,[6] became treasurer in 1922, vice-president from 1924 to 1931 and president from 1932 to 1950.[3]

Hannevart was the co-founder of the Belgian branch of the Comité Mondial des Femmes contre la Guerre et le Fascisme (CMF),[7] established after the World Conference of Women against War and Fascism was held in 1934 in Paris, France.[4] In 1935, Hannevart visited the Soviet Union.[3]

Hannevart was head of the Belgian branch of the Office Internationale pour l’Enfance (OIE), which was responsible for the reception of refugee children exiled in Ghent during the Spanish Civil War and placing them with Belgian families.[3][8] A poster preserved by the Brussels City Archives and her friendship with resistance leader Yvonne Jospa suggests that Hannevart also worked for Jewish children in some way during World War II.[3]

Hannevart was a member of Porte Ouverte, the Belgian branch of Open Door International (ODI), which campaigned for educational and workers rights for women.[9] She was chair from 1939 to 1956 and was a close friend of the organisation secretary Adèle Hauwel.[3] With Porte Ouverte, she campaigned against legislation introduced by Cyrille Van Overbergh [nl], Georges Rutten [nl] and Paul Segers [nl] which aimed to restrict married women's employment opportunities.[3]

Hannevart died on 24 April 1977, aged 89.[2] Her archives are held in the library of her alma mater, the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB).[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c Young, Amanda Verdery (11 May 2017). "Germaine Hannevart". Women In Peace. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b Gubin, Eliane (2006). "Hannevart, Germaine, Marie Thérèse, Constance (1887–1977)". Dictionnaire des femmes belges: XIXe et XXe siècles (in French). Bruxelles: Racine. pp. 307–309. ISBN 978-2-87386-434-7.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Swillen, Gerlinda (26 March 2021). Germaine Hannevart (1887-1977) - Maçonne in het tijdsgewoel (in Dutch).
  4. ^ a b "Le Comité mondial des Femmes contre la Guerre et le Fascisme (CMF)". CArCoB (in German). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  5. ^ Goodman, Joyce (2019), Kulnazarova, Aigul; Popovski, Vesselin (eds.), "International Women's Organizations, Peace and Peacebuilding", The Palgrave Handbook of Global Approaches to Peace, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 441–460, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-78905-7_21, ISBN 9783319789057, retrieved 3 February 2026{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  6. ^ "Centre d'Etudes et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés contemporaines (CEGESOMA) | Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society (CEGESOMA) (Brussels, Belgium) – WEMov, Women on the move". womenonthemove.eu (in French). Archived from the original on 7 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  7. ^ Verschooris, Marc (10 May 2022). Martha’s labyrint. Een uitzonderlijke vrouwengeschiedenis 1938-1944 (in Dutch). Gorredijk: Sterck & De Vreese. ISBN 9789056159153.
  8. ^ Payà Rico, Andrés (30 May 2013). "Spaanse kinderen. Los niños españoles exiliados en Bélgica durante la guerra civil. Experiencia pedagógica e historias de vida". The Future of the Past. 4. University of Salamanca. ISSN 1989-9289. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  9. ^ "Personalia - GROUPEMENT BELGE DE LA PORTE OUVERTE". porteouverte.be (in French). 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  10. ^ "Lettres de Germaine Hannevart - Catalogue des Archives de l'Université libre de Bruxelles". catalogue.archives.ulb.be. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
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