Have you heard about the Bataan Death March? Filipino and American prisoners of war marched almost 70 miles, wherein thousands died in the process. But there is another march that is still enduring to this day. It is the secret shame of the ”comfort women.”
Why the secret? What shame? “Comfort Women” is a euphemism for the women who were forced into Japanese military-run brothels during World War II. Many “comfort women” died from constant abuse. The 10 percent who survived remained silent for almost 40 years, until Han Soon Kim, a “comfort woman” from Korea, spoke out publicly for the first time in 1991.
When a woman’s virtue is called to question, she is delegated to being damaged goods, untouchable, dirty, etc. You get the gist. So, you can imagine that it is no different for the “comfort women” but with extreme prejudice. Those who were identified as one were shunned, ostracized, ridiculed, and thrown out. It is no surprise that many decided to keep it a secret.
Imagine keeping a secret for decades? The secret made to protect overtime causes more harm. The trauma is kept inside to fester and rot. Communication and relationships abruptly severed to minimize contact and exposure. Instead of getting help, the “comfort women” who made it a secret further damaged their psyche. So, the walk of shame continues in silence under cover of fear.
The activating grassroots movements like women’s suffrage and the #metoo and actions by women like Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Dolores Huerta, Margaret Thatcher, and Emmeline Pankhurst for their contribution to the evolution of women gives us plenty to be grateful and hopeful. Their efforts and achievements help women to claim their civil liberties, dignity, and freedom. These exceptional women paved the way for all of us. And now we need to stand on their shoulder to break the chains of the secret. All women must empower themselves and advocate for each other. We can do this together.