“All is fair in love and war” (Smedley ch. 50), this saying is one of the most famous throughout the world, because of the truth it contains. In the past it would seem that war was something unregulated, telecommunication was harder to do, therefore it was harder to know what exactly was happening. As a result there have been some horrendous acts throughout the history of war that are not acknowledged. Although this issue has not been around for long, it has gained a support and opposition like no other. The comfort women of World War II is a topic that is void of mainstream media, due to many reasons. This has been an issue for the past twenty years for politicians, but for the women it has been a struggle they have had to deal with their
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The women were typically between the ages of fifteen to twenty-two (Cai) and included women from all across Asia. The women were from Taiwan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and even Japan (Cai). These women were kidnapped from their villages, or promised false work in factories and they were all subjected to sexual slavery. Comfort women started in China during the Second Sino War in 1932. The women were sometimes Japanese prostitutes that were sold into the slavery by their poor parents; others were natives to the land who were forced into it. The women were raped over seven thousand times in their lives, or thirty times a day, they were raped more after battle (Cai). The true amount of comfort women is unknown due to the fact that no paperwork exists. Some estimates say that there were over three hundred thousand women, yet others say there were less than twenty thousand. When these women went back to their villages after the war, they were seen as traitors and often …show more content…
They have had to deal with STDs, post traumatic stress, and familial estrangement (2005). For the past twenty years every Wednesday these women sit outside the Japanese embassy in seoul waiting for an apology (2005). The Japanese thought this problem had been solved when the 1965 treaty Korea signed with Japan gave them money in atonement for their crimes (Cold). Still, Japan did not admit to the crimes until 1995 (Hiwakara). The women now are dying with an average age of sixty-five to eighty years old (Cai). The government of Japan signed a document that gave seven million to the victims of this crime, but it is from a private fund (Cold). This made them believe that they were undermining the movement and it angered the women. There was an issue in 2016, when The Japanese embassy in Seoul had a statue of a comfort women. Japan says this broke the rules of the document they signed, and wanted to revoke the payment for the women. The ultra right of Japan were upset over this statue (Cai).
The situation has not ended yet, but with the age of these women, Japan and Korea has to come to an agreement to help these women with the pain they suffered for years. This situation is complex, politically and socially. The issue seems simple, but with both countries butting heads it doesn’t seem like there will be a end to this problem soon. The women just want what they think is a proper apology and a correct plan
The women were typically between the ages of fifteen to twenty-two (Cai) and included women from all across Asia. The women were from Taiwan, China, Korea, the Philippines, and even Japan (Cai). These women were kidnapped from their villages, or promised false work in factories and they were all subjected to sexual slavery. Comfort women started in China during the Second Sino War in 1932. The women were sometimes Japanese prostitutes that were sold into the slavery by their poor parents; others were natives to the land who were forced into it. The women were raped over seven thousand times in their lives, or thirty times a day, they were raped more after battle (Cai). The true amount of comfort women is unknown due to the fact that no paperwork exists. Some estimates say that there were over three hundred thousand women, yet others say there were less than twenty thousand. When these women went back to their villages after the war, they were seen as traitors and often …show more content…
They have had to deal with STDs, post traumatic stress, and familial estrangement (2005). For the past twenty years every Wednesday these women sit outside the Japanese embassy in seoul waiting for an apology (2005). The Japanese thought this problem had been solved when the 1965 treaty Korea signed with Japan gave them money in atonement for their crimes (Cold). Still, Japan did not admit to the crimes until 1995 (Hiwakara). The women now are dying with an average age of sixty-five to eighty years old (Cai). The government of Japan signed a document that gave seven million to the victims of this crime, but it is from a private fund (Cold). This made them believe that they were undermining the movement and it angered the women. There was an issue in 2016, when The Japanese embassy in Seoul had a statue of a comfort women. Japan says this broke the rules of the document they signed, and wanted to revoke the payment for the women. The ultra right of Japan were upset over this statue (Cai).
The situation has not ended yet, but with the age of these women, Japan and Korea has to come to an agreement to help these women with the pain they suffered for years. This situation is complex, politically and socially. The issue seems simple, but with both countries butting heads it doesn’t seem like there will be a end to this problem soon. The women just want what they think is a proper apology and a correct plan