Against Forgetting
- Learn More about the “Comfort Women” Issue!
Fight for Justice: the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” –– Resistance to Forgetting & Responsibility for the Future.
http://fightforjustice.info/ (EN,JP,KR,CH)
We highly recommend you check out this website if you want to learn about “comfort women”!
This website collects facts, historical resources, and responses to general questions about the issue, and is organized by conscientious scholars and citizen groups in Japan. Since the site is translated into four languages (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and English), one can easily access and obtain basic information.
The principal mission of Fight for Justice: “We aim to resolve the issue of Japanese military ‘Comfort Women’ based on clear sources and evidence such as materials and testimonies in order to establish the historical facts of who is responsible for the Japanese military ‘Comfort Women’ system.”
The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
Check out the website of The Korean Council For The Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, which is the biggest organization in Korea supporting "comfort women" survivors and striving to preserve their legacy. They update records of the *Weekly Wednesday Demonstration in Seoul and provide recent news of the survivors. Most of the website is in Korean.
*Weekly Wednesday Demonstration: a weekly protest attended by surviving comfort women and their supporters every Wednesday at noon in front of the Embassy of Japan in Seoul, demanding Japan redress the injustices forced upon “comfort women” The demonstration, which has been ongoing for over 25 years, marked its 1322nd protest on February 14, 2018.
100 Million Signatures Campaign for the Resolution of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue.
Please sign the petition! http://bit.ly/100_million_campaign
- REPEATING HISTORY—WHOSE PEACE?
We must remember that the "comfort women" issue should NOT BE treated as a political bargaining chip between South Korea and Japan. Numerous Korean "comfort women" survivors are working in solidarity with victims of wartime sexual violence around the world—for example, acknowledging war crimes committed by the Korean military during the Vietnam War. Their ultimate hope is to STOP sexual violence and see NO MORE victims like themselves.
“Comfort Women and Vietnam War Survivors Pledge to Fight Together for Justice" (April 5, 2015)
(http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/685637.html)
- Then, Is the "Comfort Women" Issue Only in the Past?
Unfortunately, state-sponsored sexual violence is a frequently utilized weapon during times of war. At present, ISIS has rounded up Yazidi women as sex slaves, while Rohingya women are methodically raped by Myanmar’s security forces in the country’s destructive genocidal campaign—among countless instances of historical and contemporary abuses of power. As territories are redrawn and political infrastructures are shaped, women’s histories are misremembered or forgotten.
There are reports that the Korean government was actively involved in prostitution and sexual exploitation of women on U.S Army bases. Some experts say that this exploitation was impacted by the legacy of Japanese imperialism.
“Former Korean 'comfort women' for U.S. troops sue own government” (July 11, 2014)
In Okinawa, the island known for its strategically located U.S. Army base, American GIs have committed a shocking number of sex crimes and femicides that are often underreported. Many are simply deported instead of standing trial in Japan, and the cases remain unresolved.
(https://apjjf.org/2018/03/Mitchell.html)
“U.S. Marine Corps Sexual Violence on Okinawa” (January 31, 2018)
There are recent reports of UN peacekeepers engaging in criminal sexual activity with children in the countries where they are stationed. Though the problem has persisted over decades, fundamental solutions have been not been introduced.
“Nine Times Peacekeepers Have Sexually Abused Those They’re Supposed to Protect” (April 30, 2015)