Japanese Military Sexual Slaves
On January, it was the 1000th Wednesday gathering of the Japanese military sexual slave problem. The news had provoked my attention to the matter and I began to research more about the rising issue of Japanese comfort women. For this reason, I visited the ‘House of Sharing’ to find out more about the problem. After the visit to the “House of Sharing”, the experience and some research helped me to learn a lot about the problem of Japanese Military Sexual Slaves.
Who are the Japanese Military Sexual Slaves?
On August 1944, the essential work order for comfort women was announced in Korea and this allowed the
Japanese military to force sexual work to Korean women. Although legally-coercive conscriptions were not brought into action, the Japanese military began to forcibly employ women. From December 1941, Japanese rebel forces began to hit their stride in female-chasing. This happened in ways like kid-napping, using violence, etc. Poor women aged between 10 and 20 were lured by the promise of successful labor options. Although it is not easy to calculate the exact number of women kidnapped, it is assumed that the whole population would be roughly 50,000~200,000, more than 80% of them Korean (Statistics from the Korea Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, 한국정신대문제대책협의회). Unfortunately, this event did not only occur to young Asian women. For instance, Dutch women living in the Java Islands were also victims of this crime.
Information about the victims of the Japanese military comfort women problem
Once captured, these young women were sent to China, Japan, South-east Asia and many different locations that were conquered by the Japanese. Once settled into the comfort stations, women suffered from a lethal sexual-slave life, hard for any human to endure. Each woman was obligated to receive 35~70 men a day. In the daytime, they served soldiers and petty officers and at night, they were constrained to serve commissioned officers. The brothels, where many of these women lived, were not even provided with acceptable sanitation facilities. Being open to these terrible environments, many women suffered from painful diseases. Three times of venereal disease examinations were held each month for every female and private actions like going out were strictly restricted.
What is the “House of Sharing”?
Currently, the surviving Korean victims of this event are habiting in the “House of Sharing”, a facility located in Gwangju City on the outskirts of Seoul. It was built with the funds from private Korean nationals and a Buddhist organization. Inside the building, there is an extended history hall that includes great artworks by the survivors, artifacts, photographs. Opened in 1998, the hall also includes a re-creation of a room in a comfort station. Through the history hall showcase, they inform the world of the Japanese military’s ‘sexual slave’ brutality. All those showcases remain as the key evidence of the Japanese government’s responsibility for the servant women issues. During the time when I was at the “House of Sharing”, I met the Secretary-General Kim Jung Sook of International Peace & Human Rights Center and gained the opportunity to hear her opinions through e-mail.
1. Could you introduce the ‘House of Sharing’ for students who are not familiar with it?
The “House of Sharing” is a home built for the victims of the Japanese military comfort women problem during the early 1990s. This place was constructed with the contribution from many Korean citizens, also those who supported the Buddhism. On October 1995, the “House of sharing” first opened in Mapo, Seoul and after many moves, it settled in its current place on December 1995. Currently, 8 old women who were sufferers of the Japanese military comfort women issue dwell together in the “House of sharing”. These women have Korean language classes, drawing classes and they hold exhibitions both nationally and internationally to inform the public of the truth of Japanese military’s brutality. Also, they are participating every Wednesday in the “Wednesday protest” in front of the Japanese Embassy for the Japanese government to state the reality of the Japanese military comfort women issue and to request a formal apology.
2. How would you like to promote the Japanese military comfort women issue?
For to publicize the Japanese military comfort women problem, the “House of Sharing” had opened a History Hall from 1998 and taught some history that could not be obtained in schools. A lot of information about this problem is being sent to others through homepages and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Also, the “House of Sharing” is organizing volunteer groups from many schools and preparing a program where students can visit the History Hall once in every year. By offering students these opportunities, they are provided with a motivation to share this problem with many of their friends and bring others to participate as well. In addition, the “House of Sharing” is alarming the seriousness of this problem to many individuals around the world through its 2 day and 1 night human rights camp.
3. What do you expect from students, regarding the problem of Japanese military comfort women?
The Japanese military comfort women issue is a historical problem which has not yet been fixed. It has not ended just by being hauled and continually violated by the Japanese soldiers. Many victims of this crime are suffering from troubles, which they received as an aftermath of the crime, for the rest of their lives. The victims have always mentioned to students that a soldier should make an effort to protect a country, politicians should assure a comfortable living for all of its citizens, and students should keep a good relationship with their parents and study hard. The old women victims also emphasized that every person should try to make a good effort within their fields to make their country stronger and make sure that no more victims like themselves come out.
A doorplate of the “House of Sharing”
The History Hall of the "House of Sharing"
It is important for students to take part in solving the Japanese military comfort women problem, but students should firstly take in mind the victims’ hope, “People should accept the tragic events we had to endure as a history for everyone to know”.
[판게아]퍼실리테이터신청서.hwp