"Comfort women" survivors and their supporters will rally in Sydney on March 7, as part of a global day of action, to protest against the human rights abuses suffered by hundreds of thousands of women during World War II. An estimated 200,000 women in were forced into sexual slavery and continually beaten, tortured and raped by Japanese soldiers during the war.
Anna Song, campaign coordinator of the Friends of Comfort Women in Australia group, told Green Left Weekly that the rally will call on the Japanese government to provide an official apology, payment of reparations adhering to international standards and commit making sure women never again suffer from sexual slavery during war. It will also demand that the issue of "comfort women" is taught about in Japanese schools.
Three survivors — Jan Ruff O'Hearne, Hsiu Mei Wu and Gil Won Ok — will participate in the Sydney rally, which will take place on the corner of Martin Place and Philip Street, site of the Japanese consulate, from noon.