FATE OF BELGIAN WOMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 August 1917, Page 5

FATE OF BELGIAN WOMEN.

TDOUSAOTS IMPRISONED.

London, July 13. One of neuter's representatives inHjolland has interviewed a Belgian lady who lias succeeded in escaping through electric frontier wire into Holland. She. gives a vivid picture of the terrible fate of the 'Belgian Worn** in tho occupiedjj territory. She asserts that the treatment of women was werse than that 0f..; pie men. During the past year 20.000 • tvomen have been thrown into .prison-on flimsy pretexts. Sometimes they weret 'released after weeks and months without' any explanation. Scarcely a fortnight elapses without some iwaman 'being shofc;. The Germans will not tolerato any communication with Belgian soldiers, censored or not, and only in the esse of :death do old people hear of their sons' .'fate, for a Belgian casualty list is regarded s good German propaganda. At Oberbniek several hundred Belgian. :women refused, to work on Zeppelin.cor- ' wre, but after having been starved'<fof"a. few days they had no alternative but to sesuiue,

The lady concluded by describing a fecene which occurred fit. the .gate of HasBelt prison 'last month. A young peaaant woman, the mother of two children, •«sked %he authorities to be to ! nee her husband. She waa politely informed thaji Bhe could not seo Mm flsat , day, but if she came next day she would :, «ce him. The woman, with high hones that her husiband was going to bo retailed arrived at the gate next day. She waa immediately admitted. Without furthw explanation the guard gave her a bundle of clothes. 'Her husband had been shot the previous night.