Around 200,000 young women and girls were forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Pacific War. They survived years of rape and harsh treatment. Sixty-five years on, they are still campaigning for justice.

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Dear Prime Minister,

I am one of thousands of young people from across the Asia Pacific region who support the survivors of sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army in their demand for justice.
I call on your government to:

• Accept full responsibility for the grave violations of the survivors’ human rights
  during the Pacific War;
• Make an official apology to these women for the crimes committed against them;
• Provide adequate compensation to survivors and their families;
• Accurately depict the sexual slavery system in all educational text books on the Pacific War.

These crimes against humanity will not be forgotten. We must address past injustices to prevent such crimes from happening again.

Find out more about this APYN campaign:

• Check out the Quiz we made to raise awareness about this issue
• Share your comments and feedback on the Quiz Wall or Discussion Board
• Let us know what you think of the Quiz by taking 20 seconds to do a Review
• Check out the more than 1000 pics on the butterfly photo petition
• And.. join the Asia Pacific Youth Network here

Image: Survivors of Japan’s military sexual slavery system demonstrate outside the Japanese Embassy, Seoul, March 2005. © Paula Allen

SCARS THAT NEVER HEAL

Lola Pilar, a survivor from the Philippines, talked about the abuse that she suffered during the war. “I was tied to three other women”, she said. “There was a distance of 0.5 meters between us so we could do chores. We all had to go to the toilet and wash together… At night all four of us were raped. Five men a night raped me… If I refused they’d slap and hit me.”

Choi Gap-soon, a survivor from Korea, was taken to Manchuria at the age of 14 and was enslaved for 12 years. ” Some [soldiers] kicked and punched me in the face; I lost some teeth. I was kicked in the vagina and when I refused to serve the soldiers I was beaten by my boss… From 5pm until 8am the second shift began… I had to serve 40-50 men per day. I was in extreme pain all the time.”

The women have been carrying the emotional and physical scars of what they have been through ever since. Lee Ki-sun was kept in a “comfort station” for seven years. She was raped every day. After the war, she was unable to have children and never married. “Whenever I see other people visited by their grandchildren, I wish I had some, I feel envious of them… I feel lonely.”

Jan Ruff O’Herne, born in Indonesia, was 21 years old when she was forcibly taken to a “comfort station”. ”For us the war never ended… we carried this horrific shame… you feel dirty, you feel sorry, you feel different, you feel unworthy, they took away my youth, my possessions, my dignity.”

WHAT DO WE WANT? JUSTICE. NOW.

Many of the courageous survivors of the Japanese Imperial Army’s sexual slavery system continue to campaign for justice. The Government of Japan has so far failed to acknowledge its responsibility or legal liability for the enforced sexual slavery system during the Pacific War.

Time does not heal injustice. Youth are agents of change and we stand in solidarity with these courageous survivors, many of whom are now in their eighties; we are inspired by their campaign for justice and we will not allow this crime to be forgotten.

ACT NOW

Join us! Become part of the chorus of youth voices from the Asia Pacific region demanding justice for sexual slavery survivors.

Take Action Now! Sending letters to show solidarity with civilians who are trapped in the conflict zone!

Who is involved in this conflict?
The conflict between the Sri Lankan government and an armed opposition group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The conflict has escalated since early 2009 and has been marked by grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law.

What sorts of war crimes have been committed in Sri Lanka?
It is a basic rule of international humanitarian law that combatants must at all times distinguish between civilians and those taking part in the fighting, and between civilian objects and military objectives. Civilians must never be the object of attack. Indiscriminate attacks, namely attacks which could be expected to cause loss of civilian lives or damage to civilian objects that is excessive to legitimate military advantage sought, are also prohibited at all times. International humanitarian law applies equally to states’ armed forces and to armed groups such as the LTTE.

Waiting for food in the Sri Lanka 'No Fire Zone' Vanni, April 2009 © Private

Take Action Now! Sending letters to show solidarity with civilians who are trapped in the conflict zone!

Why are there so many civilians trapped in the combat zone?
In recent months government forces have pushed the LTTE out of all the major urban areas that they had held for almost a decade and into a small pocket of land in northern Sri Lanka. More than 50,000 civilians who fled the advancing government troops are trapped in this small area with the LTTE. Aerial and artillery bombardment of the combat zone by the Sri Lankan armed forces since mid-April has killed thousands of civilians and wounded many others.

Why have more civilians not fled from the combat zone?
In many cases the LTTE have prevented civilians from fleeing from the combat zone and some of those who fled were shot at by the LTTE. In recent days thousands of civilians have fled from the combat zone. Some civilians who are trapped in the combat zone are afraid to flee as they fear the consequences they may face from the Sri Lankan armed forces. Amnesty International has reported that civilians fleeing the conflict zone are being held by the Sri Lankan government in de facto detention centers. There is no standard registration process for displaced families entering the ‘reception centers’ and there is limited monitoring by international agencies. Families report cases of young men going missing after being arrested during the initial screening process.

Take Action Now! Sending letters to show solidarity with civilians who are trapped in the conflict zone!