The three women were repeatedly raped as children by Japanese imperial soldiers in their village of Mapaniqui. Isabelita Vinuya, Belen Alarcon Culala and Maria Lalu Quilantang clasp hands. They wanted Japan to offer a public apology and financial compensation for their suffering. But by the early 1990s, details of their experiences began to emerge in a series of lawsuits against Japan. Their private pain, hidden in shame, was concealed from the outside world. Japan rationalized the sex slave practice as a way to curb the rape of local women by Japanese troops following the event known as the Rape of Nanking in 1937, when their soldiers sexually assaulted tens of thousands of women in the city that was then the capital of China.įor decades, the survivors of the "comfort women" system did not share their stories. Bagares says in some cases it's a bid to "own it" and have it "signify protest." Because money fades, but awful memories do not. "No amount of money can erase the memories. "We had a deeply painful experience in this house," says Galang. Pilar Quilantang Galang (left) and Belen Alarcon Culala support each other during a visit to the "Red House," where the women were repeatedly raped as children by Japanese soldiers during World War II. Manila-based attorney Romel Bagares, who has represented some of the women for 16 years, told NPR that the term "hides the untold abuse the victims suffered under the Japanese Imperial Army and denies the victims the dignity they deserve." He says some advocates urge that the term be changed to "survivors of the wartime female slavery system." "Comfort women" is a linguistically warped categorization of the thousands of women and girls, many from poor communities, who were forced to serve as sex slaves. The enslavement camps where they were forced to have sexual intercourse with Japanese soldiers were called "comfort stations" and were often the same garrisons where they were being held. The Japanese called them "comfort women" - a term derived from the Japanese word ianfu, combining the Chinese characters meaning "comfort or solace" ( i-an) with woman ( fu). Their portraits are not only the tale of their grievous bodily violations but a tableau of life in war. In several instances, close family members shared stories told to them by the women who were too infirm to talk. Over a period of 18 months, NPR identified and conducted interviews with at least two dozen survivors across the Philippines. The organization of World War II victims of sexual war crimes has helped the "comfort women" in their fight for compensation. Images of the estimated 1,000 Philippine "comfort women" who were enslaved and sexually victimized by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II fill a wall at the offices of Lila Pilipina. "If I could prevent the sun from setting, I would, because whenever night fell, they would start raping us," she says. Narcisa begins to cry as she thinks back to her childhood in the Philippines during World War II. Outwardly, she is grandmotherly, sweet and tranquil.īut when memories from 75 years ago are tapped, her mood changes. The couple lives in the hill town of Antipolo, an hour outside Manila, in the Philippines. Stepping onto the veranda of the family apartment, she takes a moment to check on her 92-year-old husband, who eyes visitors with a weary look. Narcisa Claveria will turn 89 this year, two days before Christmas. Why did that happen to me?" She kept her past from her children until "comfort women" began speaking out in the 1990s.Įditor's note: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual and physical violence. A year before, a Japanese soldier sliced her ear and threatened to behead her if she didn't go to a garrison with him she was raped over 10 days. Fedencia Nacar David holds her photo for an application to work as a maid.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |