WUNRN
CHINA - COMFORT WOMEN SURVIVORS OF
WORLD WAR II JAPANESE SEX SLAVERY STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE
August
5, 2014 - By Zhang Yiqian - Editor: Frank Zhao
The "comfort women" were women forced into
sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II in both |
Huang Youliang has spent 10 years suing the Japanese government. She has yet
to succeed.
Huang is one of only eight remaining "comfort women" in
The "comfort women" were women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese
soldiers during World War II in both
Lin Yajin was born in 1924 in Baoting,
In October, 2013, Lin passed away. A month before, Wan Aihua, another comfort
woman, passed away in her home at Taiyuan, Shanxi Province at 84 years old.
Chen Houzhi, a volunteer who often visited these women, told the Hainan Daily
that when she was conscious, Lin would frequently say that she "couldn't
forget the miserable time and the shame."
There are very few comfort women still alive in
Hainan's 'Comfort Women'
Su Zhiliang, a professor studying the history of comfort women at Shanghai
Normal University, told the Global Times that during World War II, about
200,000 Chinese women were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. About
75 percent of them were tortured to death.
Su has been doing research on comfort women since 1992, first in
"These women are at this old age, they are scarred by the war, some don't
have their own children. Many are living in retirement homes. Some have
children but can't recognize them. That's just the way their lives are
now," he said.
The Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po reported in June that many of these comfort
women suffer from their experience in the war time, both physically and
mentally.
Lin Aiying, an 89-year-old woman in
When she sleeps at night, she always keeps a wooden chair next to her bed, with
a knife strapped to it, so that she can feel safe.
Hu Ya, the son of Huang Youliang, the former comfort women suing the Japanese
government, feels awkward when outsiders come to visit his mother. He told the
Wen Wei Po that villagers attack his mother for "having served the
Japanese." He remembers that when he was young, whenever he made a
mistake, he was reprimanded for being the son of a "comfort woman."
Su, the professor and expert on comfort women, said that after Japanese
soldiers occupied Hainan, the Japanese government used the island as a
strategic ground for invading
Compensation Attempts
In 1995, the first four comfort women, Liu Mianhuan, Li Xiumei, Zhou Xixiang
and Chen Lintao, filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government.
Kang Jian, a Beijing-based lawyer who has represented clients in a number of
cases concerning the comfort women and wartime slavery, told the Global Times
that she began helping the women file lawsuits after a Japanese lawyer asked
the help of Chinese lawyers at a conference in 1995. Since then, Kang has
participated in three of the four comfort women suits brought against the
Japanese government.
In 2001, eight comfort women in
But after many years of litigation, the result of their suit was the same as
previous ones.
"In 2007, the Tokyo Supreme Court ruled against the plaintiff, on the
basis that in a 1972 joint statement by the Chinese and Japanese governments,
[the Chinese government] declared that China will abandon any
compensation," Kang said.
The articles concerning war compensation in the 1972 declaration has met with
controversies, as human rights researchers and legal experts questioned the
legitimacy of the government renouncing the rights on behalf of individuals.
Kang asked for a psychiatric expert to be sent to
In 2009, a second trial of the case acknowledged this fact, but still ruled
against the women.
Kang said the acknowledgement at least provided the basis to pursue the issue
further in the future. Together with a group of other lawyers, Kang continues
to research the case, filming the women's stories and making them available for
the public to view on the internet.
In
However, the lack of a central government policy means that the women are still
not cared for as they deserve.
Needing Society's Care
Su is pessimistic about the comfort women's lawsuits against the Japanese
government, specifically citing the lack of specific policies from the Chinese
government.
"When the Chinese and Japanese governments are friendly with each other,
this kind of research would be like spoiling the relationship and is not
encouraged," he said. "Also the [Chinese] government has a lot on its
plate and can't possibly deal with every remaining war issue. It was only in
2005 that the government started paying attention to the remaining
soldiers."
Support from the government side is not enough, Su said. Foreign ministry
spokespersons often comment on the issue, condemning the Japanese government.
In January, spokesperson Hong Lei said that
However, there are no files at the Hainan Provincial Archives, so the stories
of the comfort women there will not be included, the Hainan Daily reported.
The help given to these women by local governments varies from person to
person. The civil affairs bureau in Lin's town lets her live in a retirement
home for free and gives her 450 yuan per month.
In
He began donating 100 yuan to the survivors each month in 2000. In 2005, he
increased the amount to 200 yuan. He has also run fund-raising drives,
receiving donations from Christian groups, retired couples, and overseas
organizations, but said that there's much more to be done.
"In a few years, they will all be gone. We don't want people to only
acknowledge them then," he said.
(Source: Global Times)