Presenter(s)
Willa Carman
Abstract
This research examines the cruelties of sexual slavery committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Around 150,000 to 200,000 women were taken and used as sex slaves between 1928 and 1945, primarily in Korea and the Philippines. These women have come to be known as "comfort women," a former demeaning term suggesting that these women were comforting Japanese soldiers. However, "comfort women" were not voluntary prostitutes but young women and girls coerced, forced, and deceived into the comfort system. These women were kept in military brothels for multiple days up to numerous years, repeatedly raped by sometimes over 20 soldiers in one day. Throughout their lives, due to sexual slavery, they have had numerous physical issues such as venereal diseases, infertility, and mental health disorders. They have also faced societal problems, many unable to marry due to being seen as "impure." This research will shed light on this largely overlooked case of government-organized and sponsored sexual slavery in modern history, which has had a lasting impact on its victims.
The exploitation and abuse these women endured was ignored and suppressed for decades. Comfort women were forced to stay silent because of the stigma attached to sex slave survivors in Asian countries. When they were finally able to speak out, the victims, along with their advocates, fought for justice and recognition for nearly 60 years to even receive a formal apology from someone in the Japanese government. By examining both historical accounts and testimonies of comfort women, this research will bring further attention to the long-lasting consequences of sexual slavery, specifically the survivors' struggles for healing and acknowledgment.
Additionally, this research will delve into the mindset of the Japanese soldiers who believed it was their "right" to have these comfort women. The Imperial Army systematically dehumanized both the women and men by engrained into their own soldiers' minds to detach from human dignity and hold and take lives without emotion. It is evident that even if a Japanese soldier disagreed with comfort stations on a moral level, there was no defying the military ranks and no speaking out against it. In contributing to existing literature, this research will show the importance of understanding and recognizing sexual slavery as a war crime and human rights violation. My goal is to have the stories and experiences of these women and those involved heard all around the world to ensure this never happens again.
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department
History & Legal Studies
Campus
Winona
First Advisor/Mentor
Iris Wang
Start Date
4-24-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
4-24-2025 11:00 AM
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Format of Presentation or Performance
In-Person
Session
1b=10am-11am
Poster Number
16
Included in
Comfort Women Surviving Sexual Slavery
This research examines the cruelties of sexual slavery committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Around 150,000 to 200,000 women were taken and used as sex slaves between 1928 and 1945, primarily in Korea and the Philippines. These women have come to be known as "comfort women," a former demeaning term suggesting that these women were comforting Japanese soldiers. However, "comfort women" were not voluntary prostitutes but young women and girls coerced, forced, and deceived into the comfort system. These women were kept in military brothels for multiple days up to numerous years, repeatedly raped by sometimes over 20 soldiers in one day. Throughout their lives, due to sexual slavery, they have had numerous physical issues such as venereal diseases, infertility, and mental health disorders. They have also faced societal problems, many unable to marry due to being seen as "impure." This research will shed light on this largely overlooked case of government-organized and sponsored sexual slavery in modern history, which has had a lasting impact on its victims.
The exploitation and abuse these women endured was ignored and suppressed for decades. Comfort women were forced to stay silent because of the stigma attached to sex slave survivors in Asian countries. When they were finally able to speak out, the victims, along with their advocates, fought for justice and recognition for nearly 60 years to even receive a formal apology from someone in the Japanese government. By examining both historical accounts and testimonies of comfort women, this research will bring further attention to the long-lasting consequences of sexual slavery, specifically the survivors' struggles for healing and acknowledgment.
Additionally, this research will delve into the mindset of the Japanese soldiers who believed it was their "right" to have these comfort women. The Imperial Army systematically dehumanized both the women and men by engrained into their own soldiers' minds to detach from human dignity and hold and take lives without emotion. It is evident that even if a Japanese soldier disagreed with comfort stations on a moral level, there was no defying the military ranks and no speaking out against it. In contributing to existing literature, this research will show the importance of understanding and recognizing sexual slavery as a war crime and human rights violation. My goal is to have the stories and experiences of these women and those involved heard all around the world to ensure this never happens again.
