Japan: Justice for the victim-survivors of the wartime sexual slavery

Heisoo Shin of Korea War and Women’s Human Rights Centre/APWLD member is presenting signatures collected for the Petition to the UN and ILO to Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Petitions is to urge the Japanese government to make an official apology and legal compensation to the victims of sexual slavery.

In the early 1990s, women-survivors, who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II in Japanese colonies and war areas, broke almost five decades of painful silence to demand apology and compensation for the atrocities they suffered as “comfort women” during Japan’s occupation of Korea, China, and much of South East Asia. As many as 200,000 women are estimated to have been forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military.

The courage of the survivors, their yearning for justice, and their solidarity has inspired a worldwide movement for women’s human rights and against gender violence to ensure that such crimes never again be overlooked nor allowed to occur. The fact that crimes against women have begun to be prosecuted in the recently established international criminal tribunals and have been codified in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is a result of their efforts and has laid the foundation for ending impunity for violence against women.

The Government of Japan, however, has ignored their call for justice. Until now, about a hundred domestic court cases brought by the “comfort women” were dismissed, and they have exhausted domestic remedy in Japan. In 1995, a Japanese semi-governmental "Asia Women's Fund" was set up for atonement in the form of material compensation and to provide each surviving comfort woman with an unofficial signed apology from the prime minister. Because of their unofficial nature, many comfort women have rejected these payments and continue to seek an official apology and compensation .

VAWW- NET Japan, a Tokyo-based women's organization, has been working towards justice for the “comfort women” - survivors in cooperation with many women’s groups in Japan and across Asian countries since 1998. Since the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal held in 2000, which VAWW- NET Japan co-organised, members of the VAWW- NET Japan have been harassed, intimidated and stopped from holding meetings by right-wing groups and the media. The members and supporters of VAWW- NET - Japan have been feeling extremely insecure since they work on the issue which is considered “taboo” in the increasingly repressive Japanese society. However, they continue their advocacy for justice to the survivors in solidarity with other global women’s and human rights groups.

Global Campaign on justice for the victim survivors of the wartime sexual slavery by Japan’s Military before and during the WWII has been launched by the Urgent Action Network for the Issue of Japan's Military "Comfort Women". It is an International Signature Campaign which requests the UN and the ILO to strongly urge the Japanese government to finally comply with the international community’s recommendations and make an official apology and legal compensation to the victims of sexual slavery. The global petition also claims that Japan is not qualified to be a permanent member of the UN S.C. without solving the issue of military sexual slavery and other war crimes. The campaign is also calling to participate in the simultaneous Wednesday demonstrations around the world on August 10, 2005 demanding justice for the “comfort women” - survivors in front of Japanese embassies in various countries across the world. (for more info visit www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org)