“Comfort Women” is the Japanese Imperial government’s euphemism for the women and children they trafficked as sex slaves between 1932 and 1945, until the end of World War II. Most of the victims were Korean and Chinese, although many others were from the Philippines, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, East Timor, Hong Kong, and Macau. While some were recruited by false advertisements promising work as house maids, factory workers and nurses, the majority were abducted and violently coerced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers at government sponsored “comfort stations” intended to improve army morale, as a strategy of war.
It is estimated that some 400,000 women and children were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers and officers at these government-sponsored rape camps. The “Comfort Women” were often kept in sub-human conditions and suffered from starvation, physical and psychological abuse, disease, infections, and rampant STDs. Many committed suicide. Monuments for the “Comfort Women” are being built around the world to memorialize these women and their communities and to educate new generations of the dangers of warfare and our global responsibility to protect human rights.
To view Comfort Women Justice Coalition’s Third Anniversary Event that took place in 2020, please watch the video below. We invite you to share this with your friends, family, and…
Warm greetings from CWJC! We hope you’re healthy and safe. This is a strange time for all of us as we try to be quarantined and productive at the…
TWO PROCLAMATIONS IN ONE NIGHT, ONE PERFECTLY PROCLAIMED, THE OTHER ALMOST JEOPARDIZED BY DENIALIST POLITICS. DESPITE OPPOSING FORCES, JUSTICE HAS PREVAILED “March 8 is International Women’s Day: A day in…
Statement on the Recent Cancellation of the “Lack of Freedom of Expression Exhibit” at Aichi Triennale 2019 「表現の不自由展・その後」及び「平和の少女像」 の展示中止への抗議声明 The “Comfort Women” Justice Coalition (CWJC), a multi-ethnic and…
Japan’s 85 year-old Emperor Akihito is tired. The popular and charismatic king says he will retire at the end of this month, becoming the first Japanese Emperor in modern history to…
