Summary
Highlights
A lola (grandmother in Filipino) recounts her story of suffering as a sex slave during World War II. She kept silent for years due to fear, but in 1992, she found the courage to reveal her past, expecting justice. This segment introduces Lila Pilipina, an organization founded by women's rights activists and comfort women in 1992, dedicated to fighting for their justice. The term 'comfort women' refers to women forced to serve Japanese soldiers as sex slaves and domestic servants during WWII. In 1991, three Korean women were the first to publicly share their experiences, triggering an international response and inspiring Maria Rossa Hanson to become the first Filipino comfort woman to come forward in 1992 despite being very ill. Other Filipino women followed, sharing their stories of Japanese sexual slavery.
The lolas' stories gained publicity, leading to court battles in Japan with the help of Filipino and Japanese lawyers. However, they lost all cases, with the Japanese Supreme Court stating that reparations had already been paid to the Philippine government after the war. While victims received around 20,000 USD through the Asian Women's Fund, a quasi-public foundation, and a personal apology letter from the Japanese Prime Minister, this was not what the victims were demanding. They sought an official apology from the Japanese government that acknowledged the war crimes, not just a personal one or funds from private donations.
The Philippine government indicated satisfaction with Japan's apology and atonement money, possibly due to Japan being a major development aid donor. Unlike South Korea and China, the Philippine government has been largely uninvolved in the comfort women's quest for justice. In recent years, monuments memorializing Filipino comfort women have even been removed. Despite diminishing hope with only a handful of lolas still alive, advocates believe that future international humanitarian law developments may be more favorable to individual victims of wartime crimes. They also emphasize raising public awareness and vigilance against future foreign aggression as a significant victory.
A separate group of Filipino grandmothers, called the Malaya Lolas (Grandmothers of Freedom), are also seeking justice from the Japanese government but have received nothing, not even a private apology. Attorney Virginia Suarez, their lawyer, explains that their experiences were deemed as rape, not sexual slavery, thus they are not classified as 'comfort women.' This distinction meant they did not receive assistance from the Asian Women's Fund. The Malaya Lolas' village, Mapaniqui, suffered immense atrocities in 1944, including a massacre and the forced sexual servitude of women at the 'red house.'
Attorney Suarez and her associates have pursued various avenues, including Philippine courts, the executive department, and Japanese lawmakers, to officially recognize the Malaya Lolas as wartime victims. However, all efforts have failed, with the Philippine Supreme Court not compelling government representation and the Japanese Supreme Court refusing to hear their case without it. Their last hope is a case filed in 2019 with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which is still pending. Of the original 99 Malaya Lolas, only 26 remain alive, highlighting the urgency of their fight as time runs out.
Despite the resignation and lack of justice, both the Malaya Lolas and the comfort women agree their efforts have not been fruitless. Attorney Suarez believes their courage in coming forward, after years of silence, set a precedent for the modern 'MeToo' movement. Their powerful stories inspire other violated women to speak out and fight for themselves, demonstrating that violence can only be stopped by being vocal. Through their struggle and even a song, they hope that their tragedy serves as a reminder to the world, ensuring such atrocities never happen again, even if justice evades them in their lifetime.