The euphemism ‘comfort women’ was coined by imperial Japan to refer to young Philippine females who were forced to offer sexual services to the Japanese troops during the Asia/Pacific Wars between 1932 and 1945. Upon the soldiers return to Japan, these young women were no longer accepted by their families and communities.
For these women, there has been no escape from the war and no answer for its harm. The Japanese government has never recognized the war crime or given formal apology to the survivors. In recent years, V-Day has joined forces with the ‘comfort women’ in their crusade for reparations.
The ‘comfort women’ will be a large force behind ONE BILLION RISING – the global protest to end violence against women and girls, February 14, 2013.
