Nepal joins the cause of 'comfort women'

Cutting across social differences, Nepal, one of the worst suffers of sex abuse, Wednesday joined a regional campaign to uphold the rights of the "comfort women" of World War II.

"The aim is to put pressure on the Japanese government for justice to 'comfort women'," human rights watchdog Amnesty International, coordinator of the orchestrated campaigns Wednesday in the Asia-Pacific region, said in a statement issued from its London headquarters.

"The women used as sex slaves by the Japanese Army during World War II have been denied justice. (Though) survivors broke over 50 years of silence - in which they suffered isolation, shame, mental and physical ill-health, and extreme poverty - still the Japanese government has been denying adequate compensation and justice for them."

The term "comfort women" was a euphemism coined by the Japanese government to denote women forced into providing sexual services in military brothels in Japanese-occupied countries during World War II.

Nearly 80,000 to 200,000 women were duped, kidnapped or brought by force from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Dutch East Indies and other Japanese-occupied countries.

Besides multiple rapes daily, the women were also subjected to beatings and physical torture. Some of the survivors said they were raped between a dozen to 40 times daily for several years, resulting in contracting severe sexually transmitted diseases and had to have their rotting uteruses removed surgically.

The Japanese government has consistently refused to apologise for the act or offer compensation to the victims despite a large number of cases filed by individuals and human rights organisations.

In the mid-1990s, compelled by the adverse publicity Japan set up the private Asia Women's Fund to pacify the victims. However, it was rejected by most survivors, who said it was neither official nor adequate. It would have compensated about 300 women - roughly 1 in about 667 or 0.15 percent of former comfort women.

Amnesty said the survivors are few and very elderly. At least two survivors its delegates had met when researching its report are now dead.

"It is, therefore, important that Amnesty, along with key partners, work towards realising justice for these women as soon as possible," it said.

As part of Amnesty's action in the Asia-Pacific region Wednesday, its Nepali members have called for a demonstration in front of the Japanese embassy in Kathmandu, followed by a signature campaign.

"In Nepal, we have never spoken about the rights of the comfort women," said Rameshwar Nepal, deputy director of Amnesty's Nepal chapter. "It's time to show solidarity."

Japan is one of the largest bilateral donors in Nepal and the government has recently been celebrating the golden jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic ties between both countries.

Though the protests are unlikely to be heeded by the government of Nepal, Rameshwar Nepal said the symbolic gesture would mark the start of protests in a country that was silent on the issue till now.

Nepal itself is one of the worst sufferers of sex abuse with hundreds of women and children being trafficked annually to India and other countries and forced into prostitution.

(IANS)

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