TWRF International "Comfort Women" Memorial Day 814 Movement
Everything I do, I just want justice to be done.
Because the Japanese government has been unwilling to respond directly, and is unwilling to admit the establishment of the "comfort women" system by the Japanese military and government and the fact that it has caused countless female victims, Grandma Kim Hak-soon of South Korea on August 14, 1991, Angrily, she made public the fact that she and her sister were "comfort women" by the Japanese army when they were young and were sexually assaulted. She was also the first "comfort woman" to expose Japan's atrocities against women during the war. Therefore, August 14th every year becomes the "International Comfort Women Memorial Day".
Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation has long been paying attention to the issue of "comfort women" and actively advocates support. It holds different forms of protests every year on the International "Comfort Women" Memorial Day to demonstrate the determination of Taiwan's "comfort women" human rights movement supporters to pursue historical justice. We hope The Japanese government has taken historical responsibility, apologized and faced up to this historical fact.
2016
History cannot be erased, the Japanese government apologizes.
In 2016, Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation invited street art performers to imitate the sit-in protest against the bronze statue of "comfort women" girls in front of the Korean Embassy, demanding that "history cannot be erased and the Japanese government apologizes" and submitted a letter of protest to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.
2017
Human rights take over, the heartbeat continues, and the action continues.
In 2017, Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation held this year's 814 International "Comfort Women" Memorial Day event for the first time at AMA museum. We remind the Japanese government that the "comfort women" issue will not be forgotten, and history and memory will be preserved, revitalized and passed on. Asking the Japanese government to face up to it is not to create hatred. On the contrary, only by sincerely apologizing to heal the scars can we Get out of the shadow of history and move towards a new path of world peace.
This event was not only attended by many representatives of social movement groups, legislators, and 15 Taiwanese high school student youth teams, but also many enthusiastic public friends went to Grandma’s house to participate in the “One Person, One Heart, One Person, One Letter” activity and wrote cards to be sent. Come to the Japan Exchange Association and jointly speak out for women’s human rights, passing on the baton from generation to generation.
2018
Silence brings bursts of silent power.
In 2018, 59 people took the place of the "comfort women" grandmothers who were unable to attend and sat silently in front of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association for 8 minutes and 14 seconds to express a silent protest to the Japanese government. The Women's Aid Association also presented reed flowers to the doppelgängers of these grandmothers, chanted the slogan "History cannot be erased, the Japanese government apologizes", and submitted a letter of protest to Japan, asking the Japanese government to record correct historical facts in textbooks and educate the people correctly. Historical knowledge to prevent tragedies from happening again.
2019
Apologize, give me justice, give my grandma her dignity.
In 2019, Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation went to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association to protest, holding up a black-and-white photo of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and slogans such as "Apologise," "Give me justice," and "Give me my grandma's dignity," to express protest demands, and to criticize Japan-Taiwan exchanges. The association submitted a letter of protest, demanding that the Japanese government formally apologize and compensate the victims, reflect on its war responsibilities, accurately record historical facts in textbooks, and investigate the archives of the "comfort women" issue. The Women's Aid Society also invited the Cicada Troupe to accuse the Japanese government of repeatedly ignoring "comfort women" survivors and evading historical responsibilities through action drama.
2020
History cannot be erased and the truth cannot be forgotten.
In 2020, on the International "Comfort Women" Memorial Day, Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation held a press conference, demanding that the Japanese government apologize and compensate for the historical persecution of women as military sex slaves, and correct the term "comfort women" in the curriculum. "Comfort Women - Military Sex Slaves", and the "Comfort Women" video collaborated with shasha77 will be played, as well as acrylic works showing collective art creation with public participation.
2021
The pain that transcends time and space, the truth that should not be forgotten.
2021 TTaipei Women's Rescue Foundation held a press conference on "The Pain Beyond Time and Space, the Unforgotten Truth" on August 14, the International "Comfort Women" Memorial Day. This is the first time that Grandma's family has held an 814 International "Comfort Women" commemoration event since they moved to the new venue. They demonstrated on-site how to use the "Comfort Women" mini-curation teaching tool box and put forward three major demands for the year:
1. The "comfort women"-military sexual slavery incident is a part of Taiwan's history and should be included in textbooks and books.
2. "Comfort women" is an issue of human rights and gender violence, and is actively promoted in national high schools and communities.
3. To face up to women’s human rights, the government should establish a national gender human rights center.
