ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said March 8 that the government will continue seeking justice for Taiwan women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II.
“Japan should formally apologize to these so-called comfort women and pay appropriate compensation,” Ma said. “The government stands by the victims and will not rest until their dignity is restored.”
The president made the remarks during the opening ceremony in Taipei City’s Datong District of Ama Museum, the first facility of its kind in Taiwan dedicated to the plight of the women. He also praised Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation for its efforts over the past 10 or so years in collecting historical documents, photos and film footage from the period.
“This part of history must be preserved,” Ma said. “Not for revenge, but to reveal the truth and ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.”
Echoing the president’s remarks, TWRF Chairwoman Huang Shu-ling said the museum will also serve as a center for promoting gender equality and highlighting the evils of sexual abuse.
Also attending the ceremony, which coincided with International Women’s Day, was 92-year-old former comfort woman Chen Lien-hua. Forcibly sent in the early 1940s at age 19 to the Philippines, Chen’s story was featured in the 2015 Taiwan documentary “Song of the Reed.”
The documentary was shortlisted at Taiwan’s Women Make Waves Film Festival in 2014, and won an International Golden Panda Award for Documentary the same year.
Statistics compiled by Academia Sinica’s Research Center for Humanities and Social Science, revealed that 1,200 Taiwan women suffered a similar fate during the war. The number of survivors now stands at three. (YCH-JSM)
