Comfort women and comfort girls refers to women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during the Second World War. The term derives from a Japanese euphemism, ianfu (Japanese: 慰安婦), meaning "comforting, consoling woman" which was used for these women who were forced into performing sexual services for the Japanese military at so-called "comfort stations".[1][2]
Most of the women came from countries occupied by Japan, including Korea, China and the Philippines, although women from numerous other locations were affected as well. Estimates of those placed in this servitude vary widely, between 20,000 to 400,000 women. Survivors have lived with psychological distress, physical consequences, shame, social ostracization, and the failure of the Japanese government to fully recognize the nature of the crimes as a system of slavery.[1][3][4][5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ward, Thomas J. “The Origins and Implementation of the Comfort Women System.” E-International Relations. December 14, 2018. Archived 2023-03-27.
- ↑ “Former UN Special Rapporteur Criticizes Japan on Comfort Woman Issue.” Hankyoreh. 2014. Archived 2018-09-16.
- ↑ Piette, Joe. “Justice Demanded for ‘Comfort Women.’” Workers World. August 30, 2019. Archived 2022-11-26.
- ↑ “South Korean ‘Comfort Woman’ Dies at 93 with No Apology from Japan.” Telesurenglish.net. teleSUR. 2019.
- ↑ “Philippines Women’s Rights Group Demand Justice over ‘Comfort Women’ Issue.” Telesurenglish.net. teleSUR.