"Gender Watch" 814 International Day of comfort women: Besides anger, we have other options.

So close to the body, so far from history.
So close to the hurt, so far from the story.
Such a near cry, so far as the echo.
--Grandma, peace and women's human Rights museum

This is the International Day of Comfort women, August 14 each year. August 14, 1991, the South Korean "comfort women" victim Kim Ko-shun in the year 200,000 by the Japanese Empire of the Captivity of comfort women, among the girls, to stand up for the first time in history to openly expose the Japanese army to sexual violence during World War II, her courage inspired other comfort women, filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo Magistrates ' Court, and finally confirmed " The existence of the "comfort women" system.

Photo provided by: Women's Rescue Foundation

From the outset, Japan did not recognize the military's participation in the comfort women system, to the establishment of the Asian Women's Peace National Fund (the Asian Women's Fund, hereinafter referred to as AWF), announcing the programme to allow each comfort woman to receive 2 million Yen "Atonement" and " The Prime Minister's apology letter, "and the provision of follow-up medical benefits (up to 3 million yen per person), the scheme began in 1996, but also triggered the Taiwan and South Korea and other former colonies of Japan's opposition movement, because the AWF half of the civil foundation of the nature, not entirely at the national level from the legislative level of compensation apology.

Women's Rescue Foundation 814 International Comfort women Day Event

In the 90 's Taiwan, in order to contain the progress of AWF in Taiwan, Li Ao's has publicly criticized the public, and held a bazaar, the proceeds of the sale delivered to the grandmother, but the grandmother to receive the benefit of the charity must sign the rejection of the AWF oath, the compensation option into a national identity of the "election side station."

South Korea, which had also been a Japanese colony, had not paid comfort women at that time, although the Government had received compensation from the Japanese side in 1965, which was unconstitutional in 2011 when the South Korean Constitutional Court decided that the Government had not actively consulted the Japanese government on the issue of the comfort woman. The ruling has again raised the opposition between Japan and South Korea's right wing.

Since the issue of comfort women has evolved, women have been held hostage by the current international politics and become a tool for mobilizing nationalist sentiments. In Taiwan, the former right-wing commentators have discredited the leftist pro-democracy movement by trying to "volunteer" the history of the comfort women and the comfort women issue as the bottom line of national morals, which has succeeded in provoking many folk people's bad feelings towards the movement of anti-history courses.

When the bodies of the grandmother were once again the battlefield of national politics, national emotional mobilization, the internal history of the struggle tool, I as a woman, glared at the history of the war, women as individuals, as well as the female body, whether it may have beyond the political, for their own endorsement, truly free stretch space?

Comfort women issues, what do Japanese feminists think?

In the 90 's, Japan's feminist general Ueno left-wing intellectuals such as the "War is bound to be the legal responsibility of the State compensation", shaping and the Japanese government in the legal fight to the end, will eventually win the atmosphere.

In recent years, however, the issue of comfort women has developed into a 0 and a war on the right of all countries under the East Asian political architecture, and the thousand cranes in Ueno said she did not expect the issue to be so right-wing.

In fact, when war, history, ethnicity, identity, gender and the political situation in East Asia are intertwined, there is no legal or theoretical framework to provide all the solutions, because each woman is a body, carrying a lifetime, there is no so-called unified reconciliation program. The Japanese government or the right-wing group, as a political group, has a headache, but it is far less painful than any of the comfort women who were deprived of their human rights during the war.

Writing here, I really don't know what path to continue to write down.

I only know that can not be too late to let the living grandmother appeared, take the history textbook taught the slogan to lazy writing. Also as a woman, I refuse to put politics over personal ground. Also afraid of writing too microscopic, loss of political and historical immediacy.

On the day of August 13, I went to Ahan (peace and women's human Rights Museum), standing in front of a display board, looking at the same woman's grandmother, their bodies in wartime for the country, after the war because of fear of being treated as prostitutes and witches, never really free to make choices and life. The comfort woman grandmother taught me that in a free country women should have total freedom, my body should not be hijacked by the state, my voice should not be kidnapped by politics.

Show Sister Grandma's Dream plan: "The next life when the stewardess is also good, there is reading, ability and freedom." 」
China Airlines to assist the women's Rescue Foundation, let show sister Grandma 93 years old to become the world's oldest stewardess.
Source: "Grandma House" peace and women's human rights museum/Women's Rescue Foundation hidden

The body of a woman who has been held hostage

All Taiwan currently has only two comfort women, grandma, living in the east of the flower, advanced age, in the last years of life may eventually face calm, they did not come to Grandma's home to participate in this year's activities. In a few years, all the comfort women will die, and the path to women's human rights and peace will be harder to travel.

The problem of comfort women has always been one of the most sensitive wounds of the nation, enough to mobilize national indignation, often pointing to emptiness. The sexual tool of the female body is not only a Japanese sin, but also our own. Taiwan's history education from the face of the body to admit the inferior history of women, Taiwan also has the military special Tea Room, director Shang film "Military Paradise", in a less prickly context to describe the Kuomintang army to coax Taiwanese women to do military tools of the past.

The root cause of sexual violence in wartime is the state violence, the mobilization of high nationalist sentiments, which is enough to feed women into the jaws of war, to serve the army as a "sacrifice for the country" and to serve the colony as "a disgrace to the nation".

The mystery of the disappearance of emotion, we eventually forget the story of the comfort women, can still vaguely remember to hate, grow up, some people with hate to wage war.

If we remember the issue of the comfort women, we will investigate how the female body in the chengping period, how the state as a fertility tool, urging them to create enormous, how in wartime, by the state of captivity, as the stability of the morale, to meet the front convention of the libido tools.

We claim to protect the comfort women, but have we ever cared about how the comfort women reconcile with trauma? Do you understand the course of the comfort women movement? Have we discussed why wartime demand must be met in this way? is not afraid to restore the truth of history, even if there are parts that we cannot stare at at all.

Photo from: The song of the Reed of the film poster

A living comfort woman, grandma.

She was hurt and not hurt.
She's involved in the country and not just the country.
She's gender, not sex.
She's a topic and not just a topic.
Here, the "comfort woman" is a woman with real life.
You are standing at the living entrance of history--
--Grandma, peace and women's human Rights museum

The Taiwan Women's Rescue Foundation, which was put into the comfort woman's human Rights Campaign in 26, has reiterated its position and appeal to the Japanese Government: sincere apology, humane compensation, open war data and the life and mentality of the grandmother. From social workers ' regular greetings and counseling services to groups traveling across Taiwan with their grandmother.

Long with the grandmother to get along, all the way to the spotlight did not care about the corner, the women's aid will do a lot, and grow a soft elasticity. The Director of maternity and child supervision of the Women's department, who was interviewed by the Yang Lifang, said that the issue of the comfort women was actually started from the social movement, but after a long time, the issue returned to the people.

Photo provided by: Women's Rescue Foundation

"In the social initiative, the grandmother will be encouraged to appear on the street, brave to speak the past experience, facing the Japanese government." 」

"But at the level of physical and mental care, we also want them to reconcile with their own trauma, so that they do not so painful, social movements do have the potential to suggest traumatic experience, the road to practice in some places there will be conflict, but also to give you some contradictions and doubts." Then the social worker and the psychologist joined, pay attention to the issue of physical and mental care in later years, but also respect the individual differences between grandma, some grandma need to get Japan's apology compensation, some very concerned about the family's ideas, or by past experience, we will not let them have only one way to choose, will not have to choose the Japanese government apology. 」

Once again, as a comfort women, there is friendship and childlike innocence among the sisters.

Li Fang mentions that the women's Aid Society will run a group trip every few months, because the grandmother most of the early economic struggle, almost no time to go out to play, the women's aid will take them from the island to the outer islands, the whole Taiwan run through through.

"Every time you go out for a long drive, you will automatically assemble at the restaurant, prepare the show and take turns on the stage after dinner," he said. Some grandma is good at singing, some aboriginal grandma can perform dancing, and the evening time is very joyful. For example, there is a Hakka grandma always sing interesting Hakka ballads, although we do not understand, but every activity think of the last time, we will arch the Hakka grandmother again sing, like children out to play. We went to Yilan Traditional Arts center, the grandmother is always full of curiosity to play those ancient children play, a play is a long time. 」

Some of Grandma's activities are very happy, but for the Japanese government's sincere introspection, they are still waiting.

"For example, the little peach grandma who lives in Pingdong, she will participate in our activities almost every time, because we live far, usually before the day before the event, near her birthday, we secretly buy cakes to surprise her." When she received the cake, she was very happy, but when she made a wish, she still mentioned that she wanted the Japanese to reflect on it, only to know she was still thinking about it. 」

Chen Tao grandma is selling coconuts.
Photo provided by: Women's Rescue Foundation

The grandmother gradually withered, but the political situation in East Asia is growing tense under the expansion of China, Japan in recent years under the new security Law, the beginning of the resumption of armaments, I know that the whole East Asia has not learned.

It is necessary to ask the Japanese government for a genuine reflection, but beyond apology and compensation, the value and determination of peace between nations are more fundamental. When we talk about the comfort women, we must not forget each and every different person, experience, and body, remember that there is no political right, no pursuit, should be above the individual's physical freedom.

More importantly, before throwing resentment, think of how we can love.

Together to see the figure of the grandmother:

The comfort women grandma never wore a wedding dress to take pictures
The Women's Rescue foundation specially rented dresses, a round grandma's wish to take wedding photos.
Photo from: Women's rescue fund

Photo from: Women's rescue fund