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Sexual slavery, resistance and women’s demand for justice were the focus of a recent event hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland, featuring representatives of the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.
Moderated by Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, the WCC’s associate general secretary for Public Witness and Diakonia, the event was organized by the WCC programme on the Just Community of Women and Men. The discussions were part of the WCC’s continuing support to the survivors of sexual slavery through the Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.
This event was held at the Ecumenical Centre on Tuesday 17 June.
Gil Won Ok, 87-year-old South Korean survivor of sexual slavery during World War II, was among the speakers at the event. She spoke about her experiences as a “comfort woman”, a term used for women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army. Gil shared how a widespread call has been made to the Japanese government to apologize for these acts against humanity. However, such call has not been acknowledged as yet.
Gil said that her traumatic experiences of sexual slavery occurred when she was a teenager. She said that it was only after 50 years that she found the courage to speak about these events. Gil added that with other women survivors of sexual slavery from those times, she stands in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul every Wednesday, calling on the Japanese government to apologize.
Gil said that she feels encouraged by the young generation who supported the cause of justice for the “comfort women” abused by Japan’s Imperial Army. It is important for youth to keep the collective memory of our country alive and keep calling for the Japanese officials to apologize, she said.
Gil also shared her testimony at a recent WCC consultation on justice, peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Her reflections set an important context for the consultation’s quest for justice and peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but in the region, and for the role of women in building peace.
Gil’s testimony reminded the group “of the importance of recognizing and affirming the role of women as active participants in peace-making, as all too often they are the ones who suffer the most during wars. True peace cannot be realized without their participation and contribution,” the communiqué said.
Gil also presented the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, a sculpture of woman who sits on the chair next to an empty chair. This gift signifies the need for accompaniment, listening and involvement, while working for the cause of justice and peace.
Mee Hyang Yoon of the Korean Council for Comfort Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan introduced the participants to her organization’s activities. It is an organization formed in 1990 by South Korean civil society groups. Through its work it supports the victims of sexual slavery abused by the Japanese Imperial Army from the late 1930s to the end of World War II.
Communique from the WCC consultation on Justice, Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula
