Peace X Peace on "This Story Will Not Die" A Cry from Korea for Human Rights and Peace:
During World War II, many thousands of women were forced to serve the Japanese army as sexual slaves. The majority were from Korea, and many came from China and Japan, but women from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Burma, and other nations were also interned and abused in the hideously mis-named "comfort stations."
This subject always makes me both sad and infuriated. Perhaps part of this is based on my participation in civil liberties activism and the empathy that requires. On the other hand, I am also a rape survivor and that drives this topic home harder for me. As bad as my PTSD can be at times after being raped twice, I cannot imagine the trauma these women deal with on a daily basis or how many committed suicide or died young due to injuries acquired in these horrible rape camps.
Survivor and activist Won Ok Gil has been telling her story for years in hopes it will serve as a warning to future generations:
It has been many years since the war ended and I have never been able to live as a true human being. I am 82 years old and I have still had no contact with my family. I am sick from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I have had four surgeries on my stomach. But out of 234 survivors who came out, only 91 are still alive. I have come out with the goal of letting everyone in Peace X Peace and other organizations know about my life. I want at least one of us to receive a full apology from the Japanese government that will send a message to the current generation about what can happen in war. One of our goals is to build a museum where today’s generation can learn about the past and connect it to the future. Right now the Japanese government is not taking responsibility for its actions. Japanese school children do not learn about Korean comfort women. They need to learn this. Maybe then all the regrets and the feelings that I have will be resolved."
The fact that the government of Japan is still using weasel words to give half-hearted apologies indicates cowardice and a lack of compassion. While I cannot stand with Won in Seoul during their weekly demonstrations, I’ll be thinking of her and her sisters each Wednesday…
Relevant Links:
http://www.peacexpeace.org/Peace_X_Peace_Blogs/?p=797
http://www.womenandwar.net/english/index.php
http://www.peacexpeace.org/content/
https://jameslandrith.com/content/view/3480/79/
http://remodel4life.blogspot.com/2009/08/comfort-women-still-waiting-on-japan-to.html