MANILA, Philippines — Decades after being forced into sexual slavery at the hands of Japanese soldiers during World War II, a group of elderly Filipino women are still crying for justice.
“Malapit na kaming mamatay, wala pa rin kaming hustisya (We are about to die, we still do not have justice),” Estelita Dy said as she and other “comfort women” marked the 30th anniversary of the “Flowers for Lolas” advocacy campaign yesterday.
She said that out of the 174 “comfort women” who made up their group, only four remain alive.
Dy, Narcisa Claveria and Prudencia David are hoping President Marcos would hear them out and bring up their calls for justice before the Japanese government.
In a statement, organizers of the “Flowers for the Lolas” advocacy campaign said they are reiterating “the calls made by our lolas (grandmothers): that Japan sincerely atone for its wartime crime, implement programs and measures such as including the ‘comfort women’ issue in history teachings and books and pay compensation to the victims and their families.”
Among the organizers of this year’s observance of the campaign’s anniversary are advocacy groups Lila Pilipina, Kaisa para sa Kaunlaran, Wha Chi Descendants, OurPhilippines.PH and WomanHealth Philippines as well as lawyer Dennis Gorecho.
The campaign was formed after Ma. Rosa Henson came out 30 years ago and narrated how Japanese soldiers made her and many other Filipinas sex slaves during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II.
The campaign organizers noted the loss of two statues commemorating the “comfort women” – the latest in 2019 – allegedly done “upon pressure from Japan and with the acquiescence of the Philippine government.”