It's my birthday today, and I am blessed to have lived 20 years.
Sometimes I complain too much, and look down on the people who obviously have not had it as hard as I, and I feel justified--for a while anyway.
So today, I watched a documentary called Behind Forgotten Eyes.
Just like every single time I see something of the like I vow to not complain again. Hopefully this time I actually come through with it.
It's the story of women who were taken as sex slaves during World War II to help "comfort" Japanese soldiers and to cut down on STIs spread by the Japanese raping of women prisoners.
Their stories are horrible, and it broke my heart to hear that they feel ashamed about what other people did to them.
Korean women, the vast majority of the over 200,000 women taken, have asked the Japanese government for some kind of compensation and apology.
To add insult to injury, Japanese officials refuse to believe that this ever happened, and if it did, the treaty made at the end of the war set everything even.
The Japanese government made a charity which received donations that totaled to $20,000 per woman, but some women did not want the money because the government never gave a cent. For all they knew, the money could come from Korean homes as well.
Although efforts are being made to make this an international issue, no clear end is in sight as the official history still doesn't acknowledge the trespasses.
Oh yeah, the women recruited were from 14-18 years of age.
Just like every single time I see something of the like I vow to not complain again. Hopefully this time I actually come through with it.
1 comment:
Tough, tough, tough...
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