TRES
FIGURAS Y LETRAS
Comfort Woman, Roxas Boulevard,
Manila
Naked, you were raped. Clothed,
You are memorialized.
Pyeonghwaui Sonyeosang, Japanese
Embassy, Seoul
You sit, waiting for a nation to acknowledge
Their crimes against humanity.
Memorial to Comfort Women, St.
Mary’s Square, San Francisco
Words outspoken ennoble you whom
Brutality and lust has shamed.
Originally published in vox
poetica (September 5, 2018)
 |
| Pyeonghwaui Sonyeosang, Japanese Embassy, Seoul, South Korea |
October 11, 2018 is International Day of the Girl.
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Public domain photo
ReplyDeletePhoto link:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peace_statue_comfort_woman_statue_%EC%9C%84%EC%95%88%EB%B6%80_%EC%86%8C%EB%85%80%EC%83%81_%ED%8F%89%ED%99%94%EC%9D%98_%EC%86%8C%EB%85%80%EC%83%81_(3)_(22609310033).jpg
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Year and Artists:
ReplyDeletePyeonghwaui Sonyeosang (2011) by Kim Seo-kyung and Kim Eun-sung, design ideas by Yeongjong Kim
Gonzalinho
MEMORIALIZING WARTIME ATROCITIES
ReplyDeleteBy: Jesse Angelo L. Altez - @inquirerdotnet 05:06 AM January 23, 2018
Tokyo—The recent controversy involving the 7-foot bronze statue of a Filipino “comfort woman” on Roxas Boulevard stirred debate on how it would affect the relationship between Japan and the Philippines. Seven decades after World War II, the two countries have transformed their relationship from foes to partners, both wishing to foster mutual peace and development in Asia.
…M. Evelina Galang’s book “Lolas’ House: Filipino Women Living with War” (Northwestern University Press, 2017) tells the story of 16 Filipino comfort women interviewed by the author. The harrowing narrative of these women—one attested that she was raped by 20-30 men in a day—shows how no one can be capable of fabricating such stories, as alleged by right-wing elements in Japan.
As much as the atonement money can help the victims of this wartime aggression, band-aids do not fix bullet holes and cannot erase the fact that these wartime atrocities happened. And while economic reparations can help the victimized women move forward with their lives, such atonement money speaks more about Japan than for the women. It implies regret. Thus, the response of the Japanese Embassy to the bronze statue on Roxas Boulevard—in which it finds the process of memorialization “extremely regrettable”—is quite unfortunate.
…what happened 70 years ago cannot be changed. And as much as the Japanese government disagrees with this process of remembering, we owe the victimized comfort women the chance to be memorialized to prevent the repeat of their harrowing experience. Never again should we allow any form of sexual violence. Let the bronze statue on Roxas Boulevard remind us of that.
Jesse Angelo L. Altez is an Asian Development Bank-Japan scholar pursuing public policy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. React: @AngeloAltez
Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/110478/memorializing-wartime-atrocities#ixzz5lcgwYHrB
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Pope's Intentions for the Challenges of Humanity and Mission of the Church - February 2021
ReplyDeleteUniversal Intention - For women who are victims of violence
“We pray for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded.”
Link: https://clicktopray.org/pray-with-the-pope/
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