Students raise awareness about survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery

Four high school students pose during an exhibition of portraits of wartime sexual slavery survivors at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, Aug. 5. They are, from left, Kim Dong-ho, Hannah Lee, Jessie Park and Alberta Yoo. The students painted the portraits to raise awareness of the trafficking of women and young girls for sexual purposes by the Japanese military from 1930 to 1945. / Courtesy of Seo Min-jung

By Kim Se-jeong

Jessie Park, 17, Alberta Yoo, 16, Kim Dong-ho, 18, and Hannah Lee, also 18, are old friends ― one lives in Korea and the other three in the United States.

They stay connected through a project they started together in January. Their blog, www.justiceforcomfortwomen.org, raises awareness about the elderly survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery and their struggle for justice.

The bloggers' friendship has grown along with their dedication to their cause.

The four take turns updating the blog after monitoring online news and analyses about the sexual slavery issue. They also post original content, either content they have created or content contributed by others.

The blog has recorded nearly 5,000 visitors ― including some from Japan, which thrills the four students.

"Outside Korea, no one really pays attention to the issue because they don't think it is so important," Yoo told The Korea Times to explain why she and her friends started the blog.

"Everyone knows about the Holocaust, and there is so much research and information about it," she said. "This is a similar human rights issue, and I think more people should know about this."

Until recently, the four friends were among the many who knew nothing about the issue.

Their visits to the House of Sharing, a residence in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, for 10 survivors, were a source of inspiration. The four friends volunteer at the shelter when they are all in Korea.

"[The survivors] told us what they had gone through," Park recalled. "We saw pictures and other objects in the museum. It was very depressive and revealing."

The visits inspired her to paint portraits of the survivors, and her three friends eventually joined her.

Their works won prizes in a local painting contest, and last month they were exhibited at the National Theater of Korea, where choreographer An Jung-hun also organized a dance performance inspired by the survivors' stories. Footage of An's performance can be viewed on the blog.

Between 1930 and 1945, the Japanese imperial army forced young girls from China, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Netherlands and Australia to service its soldiers in military brothels.

No one knows exactly how many women were forced into sexual slavery, but the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan estimated the number at 200,000.

The Japanese government has denied or downplayed its involvement in the trafficking of young girls and women for sexual purposes, with some right-wing Japanese opinion leaders saying it was a matter between private Japanese businesses and young girls who wanted to make money. There are 55 living registered South Korean survivors.

In addition to the blog, Park, Yoo, Kim and Lee are raising funds to help print and distribute a children's book to raise awareness of the survivors' struggle for justice.

The book "Balsamina: Touch Me Not," by Yoon Jung-mo depicts the ordeal of one of the "comfort women." The money raised will be used to print and mail an English version of the book to organizations around the world. The electronic version of the book is also available on the blog.

Kim recalled the "bring back our girls" campaign, a worldwide show of support for more than 200 young girls who were abducted from a Nigerian boarding school in April ― some of whom may have been sold into sexual slavery.

"Korea went through a similar thing, but no one knows about it," Kim said. "Through our work, maybe we can raise awareness, and we believe this is the perfect time to do something."

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