WUNRN
WORLD WAR II "COMFORT
WOMEN" ARE OLD NOW BUT STILL FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS
An offensive comment by the
mayor of
QUEZON
CITY, Philippines
(WOMENSENEWS)--Surviving "comfort women" continue to see each other
in monthly gatherings, sharing stories or belting out love songs with the
videoke machine.
Recently,
they met at the office of Lila Pilipina, a survivors' group in
It was the
end of May and there was a heavy downpour that morning, but it didn't drown out
the sound of the voices of the lolas--grandmothers in Filipino--as they sang
their own rendition of love songs from forgotten times.
They
shared a bowl of hot soup and a loaf of cheese bread before discussing the next
steps in their struggle for justice.
"We
can no longer take back what happened to us but my hope is for future
generations to not suffer the same thing," said one survivor named Virginia
Villarma.
The issue
of so-called comfort women isn't usually mentioned by the Japanese government.
Philippine
authorities have also been quiet, afraid that the issue may strain economic
ties with
However,
in early May a Japanese politician brought the issue to the
surface when he drew international press attention by saying that sex slaves
served a necessary role during the Second World War, particularly to provide
relief to Japanese troops.
"For
soldiers who risked their lives in circumstances where bullets are flying
around like rain and wind, if you want them to get some rest, a comfort women
system was necessary. That's clear to anyone," said Toru Hashimoto, mayor
of
Hashimoto's
words angered the women once part of the comfort system here and in
"Such
statement is unbecoming of a public official," Lila Pilipina said in a statement. "
The group asked the Philippine government to issue a diplomatic protest. Instead, the Filipino Department of Foreign Affairs reminded Japanese officials to be careful in making comments on the issue of comfort women.
Now, survivors are planning to stage a rally on July 22, coinciding with Philippine President Benigno Aquino's State of the Nation Address.
Seeking Apologies
Comfort
women have long sought a public, worldwide apology from the Japanese government
for the war atrocities committed. They want an apology, too, from Hashimoto,
who has since claimed that he was misquoted by the press.
They are
also seeking legal compensation from the Japanese government and for the
Philippine government to join them in these demands.
"We
want the Japanese government to recognize and apologize for its military policy
of the use of comfort women during the war," said Richelda Extremadura, executive
director of Lila Pilipina, which
collects testimonies of Filipina comfort women.
"Nobody has the right to use women in furtherance of their
objectives."
Lila Pilipina started
in 1992 with 174 members. Today only 103 members of the organization are still
alive.
They are
part of the estimated 100,000 to 250,000 Asian women, many between the ages of
13 and 15, who were abducted by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II
to serve as sex slaves.
The army
kept them in military brothels where they were repeatedly raped, according to
their own testimonies gathered by Lila Pilipina.
For seven
decades these lolas have been searching for an apology and financial
compensation for what they suffered.
"We
will not waver," said Pilar Frias, 87 years old
and widely known as Lola Pilar.
Japanese
soldiers abducted Lola Pilar in 1943. She was only 16 years old at the time.
She was forced to walk with Japanese military men as they roamed far-flung
villages in her province in Camarines Sur in search of Filipino guerilla camps.
In between the hunt for rebels, the Japanese troops would take turns raping
her. She said around 100 soldiers raped her.
Lola Pilar
said there are no words for the pain she went through during this time. When
she was pregnant with her second child her husband left her when he heard her
story.
To her
last breath, she vowed, to join her fellow survivors in the quest for justice.
It's not
easy.
The lolas are old. Their legs are
wobbly and they easily get tired.
No Justice Yet
Lila
Pilipina's Extremadura said that their arduous and painful struggle hasn't
gotten them any justice yet.
"We
have exhausted everything," Extremadura said, referring to the legal
actions taken by the group.
On April
2, 1983, 18 Filipino comfort women filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court
of Japan. They demanded post-war accountability including compensation and reparation.
On
Christmas Day of 2003, the Japanese Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit,
arguing that
The
mayor's words have now energized the survivors.
Survivor
Villarma can't remember how old she is. Her almond-shaped eyes squint and her
wrinkles seem to double as she tries to remember. Her lips, covered with a
faded purple lipstick, purse into an embarrassed smile. She says she is 81. Or
82. No, she is 83, she says finally after counting from 1929.
She
forgets many things, such as what she did yesterday morning or the morning
before that.
But Lola
Virginia, as her family and friends call her, will never forget that scorching
noon day in 1943 when three Japanese soldiers dragged her from an empty street
in
The
soldiers beat her for hours until she could no longer scream. In the evening,
more Japanese military men came. And it was then when they took turns raping
her. She had lost count. The rapes went on every single night for three months
until she and the other girls managed to escape.
Maria Rosa Luna Henson, known as Lola Rosa, was
the first Filipino comfort woman to come out in public in 1992, a move that
gave way for others who suffered the same plight to also tell their stories.
Lola Rosa
died in 1997 but her story did not die with her. For three months in 1943,
soldiers raped her from morning to evening, she said in a story she has told
and retold and which joins other testimonies compiled in the book "Justice and the Comfort Women,"
published by the University of the
Every
comfort woman has a story to tell. Many of them no longer remember their
children's ages or how many grandchildren they have. But they still remember
the atrocities of war.