The Korean Council Statement for the International Women’s Day (March 8)

The Korean Council Statement for the International Women’s Day (March 8)

In 2020, we commemorate the 30th anniversary since the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan was established by 37 women’s human rights organizations in 1990. On March 8, we celebrate the 112th International Women’s Day.

On March 8, 1908, female laborers stood in the streets of New York City to commemorate fellow women who lost their lives due to a fire at workplace. The women demanded improvement in labor conditions and women’s suffrage. The United Nations officially proclaimed March 8 as the International Women’s Day in 1975. Citizens in Korea joined to celebrate the International Women’s Day since the bleak periods of Japanese colonization, yet went through a long period of hiatus, until March 8, 1985, when the 1st Korea Women’s Conference was held to promote the issues of women’s human rights and to embark on campaigns to protect women’s human rights.

August 14, 1991, when the international community including Korea had not yet perceived sexual violence and sexual slavery during conflict as war crimes, Japanese military sexual slavery victim Kim Hak-soon came forward. Beyond anger against perpetrator’s silence and denials, Kim Hak-soon’s first public testimony created a resonance in the Korean society.

Kim Hak-soon’s courageous #MeToo led to a series of #MeToo’s from Japanese military sexual slavery victims across the Korean peninsula and Asia-Pacific region. Hwang Geum-joo and Kim Bok Dong’s testimonies at the international community including the United Nations revealed the crimes of Japanese military sexual slavery issue and raised the issues of violence against women in conflict to call for the international community to make proactive efforts to stop war and protect women’s human rights.

Following halmonis (victims)’ promise to support other victims of wartime sexual violence with any legal reparations they would receive from the Japanese Government, the Korean Council established the Butterfly Fund on March 8, 2012. The Butterfly Fund continues to support survivors of wartime sexual violence in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vietnam, Uganda, and others to stand in solidarity and create a peaceful world without war.

Indeed, Japanese military sexual slavery victims have become human rights activists to campaign both domestically and internationally, to become the voices of other victims of wartime sexual violence and to create a transnational women’s human rights movement – #WithYou from citizens around the world.

Japanese military sexual slavery victims fought against the oppression of patriarchy and overcame the stigma of “shameful women,” calling for change and justice for victims of sexual violence. Their courageous #MeToo revived with the international #MeToo Movement in 2017. Kim Bok Dong, who had dedicated her life as a women’s human rights activist, was awarded the Women’s Movement Award from the Korea Women’s Conference on March 8 2019, and again engraved her message of hope in our hearts.

Twenty-five years have passed since the Beijing Declaration in 1995. We witness that the movement for just resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue have built hope for victims of sexual violence in conflict around the world. At the same time, however, we also witness that the perpetrator Japanese Government continues to deny and distort history, and the neo-colonialists defame victims one again and raise hate against the movement for women’s human rights and peace.

Nonetheless, we believe that that women’s international solidarity will not be defeated. To victims’ #MeToo, we reply in stronger #WithYou, to call for the Japanese Government to “admit its war crimes, officially apologize, and make legal reparations.” To the international community, we call for “End to all forms of sexual violence in conflict” and “End to all Wars.”

The Korean Council remembers hope of Kim Bok Dong and all women who called for justice. We will continue the legacies of the 30 years of movement for just resolution of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue to create a world where each woman is free from violence, discrimination, prejudice, and stigma to rejoice true equality and peace.

March 6 2020

The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

#IWD2020 #EachforEqual #ComfortWomen #JapaneseMilitarySexualSlavery #WednesdayDemonstration #KimHaksoon #KimBokDong #HwangGeumjoo