abecedarian
Well-Known Member
This is the story of a young woman who was forced into prostitution as a 'Comfort Woman' during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. While the author's account of her traumatic ordeal is difficult to read emotionally, I was even more upset to read how widespread this government sanctioned practice was, and how reluctant the current Japanese government is to even acknowledge the sins of the past. The idea at the time was that providing "comfort women' would prevent widespread rape amongst the occupied lands. In reality, soldiers still grabbed women and young girls off the streets.
The author was just 15 when she was gang raped and forced into slavery at a comfort station. Her ordeal was relatively short..she 'only' had to endure 9 months of daily rape by long lines of Japanese soldiers..some days there were hundreds in line for maybe 6 girls. She later met women who endured up to 6 years of such treatment. Til the day she died, she suffered permanent damage from head injuries she received from angry soldiers who weren't able to 'perform' when it was their turn..her speech was slurred, and she sometimes drooled..making it difficult for her to find work. After a year or two of recovery time, she married and had three children, but her life was very difficult. She died in 1996. She came out with her story after hearing a radio broadcast asking for former comfort women to come forward with their stories. A group had formed to try to get compensation from the Japanese government.
While this book is a relatively easy read intellectually, emotionally it is rather taxing. I can't imagine anyone being forced to endure such cruelty, and for a government to actually sanction it is just barbaric.
The author was just 15 when she was gang raped and forced into slavery at a comfort station. Her ordeal was relatively short..she 'only' had to endure 9 months of daily rape by long lines of Japanese soldiers..some days there were hundreds in line for maybe 6 girls. She later met women who endured up to 6 years of such treatment. Til the day she died, she suffered permanent damage from head injuries she received from angry soldiers who weren't able to 'perform' when it was their turn..her speech was slurred, and she sometimes drooled..making it difficult for her to find work. After a year or two of recovery time, she married and had three children, but her life was very difficult. She died in 1996. She came out with her story after hearing a radio broadcast asking for former comfort women to come forward with their stories. A group had formed to try to get compensation from the Japanese government.
While this book is a relatively easy read intellectually, emotionally it is rather taxing. I can't imagine anyone being forced to endure such cruelty, and for a government to actually sanction it is just barbaric.