Acha
Nicolas
Teacher: Stella Maris Saubidet Oyhamburu
Lengua y Expresión Escrita IV-ISFD 41
August,
2014
The Aftermath of Horror
During World
War II, approximately two hundred thousand women from Korea, Japan, China and
the Philippines were abducted by the Imperial Japanese Army and taken to
Japanese brothels. Most of these women were under the age of twenty and some of
them as young as twelve. They were forced to work as sex slaves in the “comfort
stations” and have sex with up to a hundred men a day. The so called “comfort
women” underwent the worst atrocities that a human being could tolerate and at
least two thirds of them died or were killed during the war. But in spite of all the horror they suffered on the
Japanese brothels, for those who survived, the aftermath of the war meant even
greater pain and suffering from the degradation and shame that they had to live
with everyday for the rest of their lives.
Even though
the “comfort women” were subjected to the most inhumane and degrading treatment
during the time of their captivity, when they were finally released and returned
to the patriarchal and rural Asian societies, another period of languish began.
First, they were not considered as victims, instead they were viewed as dirty
women collaborating with the Japanese army. Second, due to the extreme
treatment they received from the soldiers, many of them were infertile and
infected with sexually transmitted diseases, what made them incapable of
getting a husband and raise a family. This meant being totally excluded from
the social life. And third, many of these women were not even capable of
returning home because of the dishonor and shame that would have meant for
their families to have a daughter that was forced to serve as a sex slave. This
is why some of them preferred to commit suicide rather than going back with
their families carrying the social stigma with them.
World War II finally ended in 1945 but the damages
suffered by the survivors of the Japanese military system of sexual slavery
would remain in their consciences and bodies for the rest of their lives. People who have been exposed to traumatic
situations such as life threatening experiences or sexual assault, develop a
wide variety of symptoms and Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the case
of former comfort women, their PSTD symptoms were characterized by fear and avoidance
of men, especially soldiers. They avoided forming relationships and falling in
love, thus unable to lead a family life. The difficulty to think about the traumatic
experiences made them stay silent for more than fifty years and most of them
considered to commit suicide. And certainly the scars of wounds inflicted by
the soldiers remain as daily reminders of the past. Clearly, the physical and
psychological harm inflicted to these women is still defining their lives.
Perhaps the
anguish underwent by these women could have been diminished if the Japanese government
had assumed its responsibility, made a formal apology and paid the
correspondent compensation to the victims. To begin to feel some kind of
reparation, the victims of this extensive system of human sex-trafficking must
be acknowledged as victims and receive a sincere apology as a first step to
change their lives. A formal investigation should be conducted by the Japanese
authorities aiming at the elucidation of the perpetrators and all the victims. In
addition, a proper compensation ought to be paid as a final demonstration of
concern and remorse. If these conditions were met, former comfort women would
think that there’s still hope for the future generations that the atrocities
that took place during WWII will not happen again.
In
conclusion, the lives of these women have been a constant torment, even more
than sixty-five years after the war, as a consequence of the damage caused to
them. Their youth and innocence was stolen from them, and as a direct effect of
their experience in the comfort stations they developed a strong dislike of men
and marriage. They avoided almost every social relationship and were excluded
from their families and societies. For the surviving comfort women, the
oppression and humiliation they have to face in the aftermath of World War II,
meant even greater dishonor and shame that no apology nor monetary reparation
could ameliorate.
Works Cited
Amnesty International
Oragnization, New Zealand. “Stop Violence Against Women: Comfort Women”.
Retrieved from http://www.amnesty.org.nz/files/Comfort-Women-factsheet.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-12,848, Available on August 19th, 2014.
Stratton, J. Comfort Women: Systems
of Domination Revealed . retrieved on August 21, 2014 from: http://castle.eiu.edu/historia/archives/2008/Historia2008Stratton.pdf
Former comfort woman
tells uncomforting story, FELDEN E., Retrieved on August 18, 2014 from
http://www.dw.de/former-comfort-woman-tells-uncomforting-story/a-17060384
