Taiwan commemorates International Memorial Day for 'Comfort Women'

台灣紀念“慰安婦”國際紀念日

Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation remembers the 59 Taiwanese 'comfort women' forced into sexual slavery


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation (TWRF) (婦女救援基金會) held a press conference on Monday (Aug. 14) to mark the International Memorial Day for "Comfort Women," per PTS.

TWRF commemorated the 59 Taiwanese "comfort women" forced into sexual slavery at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. In May 2023, Taiwan's last "comfort woman" survivor passed away at the age of 92.

National Human Rights Commissioner Chi Hui-Jung (紀惠容) expressed hope that Taiwan fully remembers and preserves the lives of these women. "Let us remember the sacrifices and history of women who have met misfortune, such as all the 'comfort women' and child prostitutes. Their memories and stories should be kept and passed down through history," said Chi.

TWRF said it hopes the Japanese government continues to acknowledge its atrocities against women in Taiwan and other Asian countries such as Korea, China, and the Philippines. The organization also encouraged teachers to pass on this bitter history to students, as the subject was officially incorporated into the national curriculum in 2019.

"The most important thing is that we have incorporated their story into Taiwanese textbooks beginning in 2019. We believe such education can control and possibly prevent gender violence and promote human rights and anti-war sentiment," said TWRF CEO Tu Ying-Chiu (杜瑛秋). TWRF also urged Taiwan's government to establish a National Women's Human Rights Museum to preserve cultural relics about gender violence and discrimination and promote human rights education.

The organization called "comfort women" survivors of sexual violence and the first brave pioneers of the recent #MeToo movement in Taiwan. It said that only by facing up to history and condemning all sexual violence can Taiwan continue to make progress on the road to gender equality.