By Kim Se-jeong
The government and a local NGO will launch a project to train 200 high school and college students as advocates to speak out for the victims of sexual slavery committed by the Japanese military during World War II.
According to the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Tuesday, the students will be named “global ambassadors for women’s rights.”
The project comes as part of commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15.
They will start a month-long program Friday where they will learn about sexual slavery during World War II and create online content that can help people around the world understand the issue. They will also run awareness campaigns including sending letters to government agencies of other countries.
“We wanted to mobilize the youngsters to act on this issue,” a VANK activist said.
“We are more connected in the world, with many friends outside Korea. Many people have been working to get Japan to apologize to the victims, but it has not happened. Look at the Holocaust and how much that issue is known around the world.”
She said this issue is not just about sexual slavery but also about women’s rights. “We hope the program will help the students remain outspoken about the issue after the one-month program.”
Lim Chang-dong, 22, a student at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, who applied for the program, said, “For many, it’s an issue isolated to Korea. But it is a bigger issue, and I want to learn a new angle and different approach.”
VANK is one of the leading civic groups that advocates for the victims of sexual slavery. It has produced educational material and distributed them to its 130,000 members. VANK has also been dispatching researchers to different parts of the world on an awareness campaign mission.
At least 200,000 women from Asia are believed to have been conscripted to provide sex to Japanese troops during World War II. Korea is where the most women came from, but only 48 are alive now.
Japan, particularly under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has neglected calls to admit its past wrongdoings and apologize to the victims. In a recent interview, Abe said the women were the victims of sexual trafficking, denying the Japanese military’s involvement.