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| Gil Won-ok, left, a former ‘comfort woman' takes a selfie with Marvah al-Aliko, a Yazidis woman who was forced into sex slavery by the Islamic State (IS), during a meeting co-hosted by four international human rights groups in Berlin, Germany, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By Lee Han-soo
Gil Won-ok, 89, a World War II sex slave, met Marvah al-Aliko, 24, an Islamic State (IS) sex slave, in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday. The women consoled each other while condemning the cruelty of war crimes and sharing their yearning for such atrocities to be prevented.
The meeting was arranged by three human rights groups -- Korea-Verband, a Korean civic group in Germany; Ezidis Worldwide; Japanese Women Initiative Berlin; and Amnesty international –- to highlight war crimes against women.
"It will be hard to bear, but we have to endure," said Gil to Marvah. "However, we also have to continue talking about our experience so that it does not happen again in future generations."
Gil, who was born in Pyongyang, reported herself as a "comfort women" in 1998 and has since worked tirelessly to raise international awareness of war rape.
"This is why I travel the globe," Gil added. "In hopes that future generations do not go through the horrible pain that I have suffered."
IS kidnapped Marvah, a member of the Yazidis minority group, and her two sisters, in 2014.
During her meeting with Gil, Marvah talked about being sexually assaulted by the terrorist group and then sold as a sex slave.
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