Gender News in Taiwan
2015.08.17
Documentary on "Comfort women" Opens in Taiwan ahead of Second World War Anniversary

A documentary chronicling the lives of six Taiwanese women who survived being forced to provide sex for the Japanese military during the second world war hit Taiwanese cinemas on Friday to coincide with International Memorial Day for Comfort Women.

The 76-minute film, Song of the Reed, was produced by the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation.

Foundation executive director Kang Shu-hua said it decided to release the film because it wanted to raise awareness of the issue among the Taiwanese public through life stories told by surviving victims.

She said she hoped the "comfort women", a term for the mainly Asian women who were procured for brothels for the Japanese military before and during the war, could see the Japanese government apologise for crimes committed against them and allow them to receive compensation in their remaining years.

“They will die one day, but their stories will pass on for many generations to come,” Kang said.

Filming began in 2011 and six "comfort women" agreed to share their life stories in front of the camera. Four have since passed away. Now there are only four alive in Taiwan and their average age is about 90.

The foundation will also hold a night vigil at a park near Japan’s de facto embassy in Taipei on Friday to commemorate the atrocities comfort women experienced during the war and to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the conflict on August 15.

“The main purpose of the vigil is to promote peace and justice,” Kang said. “We hope there won’t be any war and violence in the world. We also hope military sexual slavery will never happen again in the world today and in the future.”

International Memorial Day for Comfort Women was established in 2013 to pay respect to late Korean "comfort woman" Kim Hak Soon.

Kim was the first surviving victim to publicly speak about the atrocities she experienced. Her personal story brought international attention to the issue.

Women from Korea, the Philippines, mainland China and Taiwan were forced into prostitution during the war.

[South China Morning Post, 2015-08-15]

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