"Trostfrauen", Wiedergutmachung und Menschenrechte
2011: Gerechtigkeit für die sog. Trostfrauen
Am 14. Dezember 2011 wird die 1000ste Mittwochsdemonstration vor der Japanischen Botschaft in Seoul stattfinden. Der Korea Council ruft dazu auf, dass alle, denen die sog. Trostfrauen (Sexsklaven des Jap. Militärs im II. Weltkrieg) wichtig sind, sich in ihren Ländern an Aktionen beteiligen mögen. Der Korea Council und mit ihm die noch lebenden sog. Trostfrauen bitten: „Join the survivors in raising voices to stop violence against women under armed conflicts and revive justice and human rights.“
Wir werden in den nächsten Wochen berichten, was in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland geplant wird.
Hier einige Informationen vom Korea Council in Seoul/Südkorea.
Global Action Day: Justice for „Comfort Women‟!
Join the 1000th Wednesday Demonstration!
1. Japanese Military „Comfort Women‟ (Sexual Slavery) issue Is…
Japanese Military „Comfort Women‟ system is a systematic and deliberate crime, which the Japanese government committed by forcing thousands of women from Japan’s annexed or occupied territories into sexual slavery before and during World War II. The institutionalization of „Comfort Women‟ system was executed by the Japanese military which was directly involved in recruiting women and establishing and regulating the stations. The Japanese military set up „comfort station‟ throughout the Asia-Pacific region and herded young women, most of whom in their teenage years, into the front lines in the war, inflicting horrendous atrocities on them such as rape, torture, terrible beating, and forced abortion.
After a Korean survivor of the military sexual slavery spoke up about Japan’s heinous barbarities through a public testimony for the first time in 1991, the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan(the Korean Council) and the victimized survivors filed a petition to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). Not only did the UN Special Rapporteurs on Violence Against Women report on the „comfort women‟ issue, but human rights bodies of the UN, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), and other international organizations also have raised the issue as a systematic rape and sexual slavery. They have continued urging Japan to fully investigate, provide reparations, and prosecute the perpetrators. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has also made recommendations to Japan to resolve the issue.
Starting with the United States House of Representatives in 2007, parliaments of the European Union, Canada, and the Netherlands have adopted a resolution demanding Japan to take necessary measures to solve the issue. Furthermore, the international community including the Amnesty International and other international non-governmental organizations has jointly raised voices to restore justice and rights of the victims of “comfort women” system.
2. What is the Wednesday Demonstration for the resolution for the issue of Japanese Military „Comfort Women‟?
The Wednesday Demonstration was first held on January 8th, 1992 in order to demand investigation and fulfillment of responsibility when Japan’s then Prime Minister Miyazawa visited the Republic of Korea. Since then, the Wednesday Demonstration has continued as a regular event on every Wednesday at noon. The Korean Council hosts the Wednesday Demonstrations with support from and participation of numerous Korean women’s organizations, socio-civic organizations, religious groups, and individuals. The survivors of the Japanese Military „Comfort Women‟ system, who are now in their advanced years, have been and continue to be in the front lines of the demonstration every week.
At the Wednesday Demonstrations the following demands to the Japanese government are made:
1. Acknowledge the war crime
2. Reveal the truth in its entirety about the crimes of military sexual slavery
3. Make an official apology
4. Make legal reparations
5. Punish those responsible for the war crime.
6. Accurately record the crime in the history textbooks
7. Erect a memorial for the victims of the military sexual slavery and establish a historical museum
The Wednesday Demonstration is the cradle of peace and human rights movement against war and gender-based violence. In spite of Japan’s persistent inaction to commit to its responsibility, the Wednesday Demonstration has turned into a place for peace and women’s human rights. The demonstration has also become a living site for educating history and bringing people together in solidarity beyond gender, borders, ideologies under one cause – to ensure justice. The victimized survivors have proudly become human rights activists, spreading new hope to the many suffering women around the globe.