![]() The enslavement camps where they were forced to have sexual intercourse with Japanese soldiers were called "comfort stations" and were often the same garrisons where they were being held. The Japanese called them "comfort women" - a term derived from the Japanese word ianfu, combining the Chinese characters meaning "comfort or solace" ( i-an) with woman ( fu). Their portraits are not only the tale of their grievous bodily violations but a tableau of life in war. In several instances, close family members shared stories told to them by the women who were too infirm to talk. Over a period of 18 months, NPR identified and conducted interviews with at least two dozen survivors across the Philippines. The organization of World War II victims of sexual war crimes has helped the "comfort women" in their fight for compensation. Images of the estimated 1,000 Philippine "comfort women" who were enslaved and sexually victimized by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II fill a wall at the offices of Lila Pilipina. "If I could prevent the sun from setting, I would, because whenever night fell, they would start raping us," she says. Narcisa begins to cry as she thinks back to her childhood in the Philippines during World War II. Outwardly, she is grandmotherly, sweet and tranquil.īut when memories from 75 years ago are tapped, her mood changes. The couple lives in the hill town of Antipolo, an hour outside Manila, in the Philippines. ![]() Stepping onto the veranda of the family apartment, she takes a moment to check on her 92-year-old husband, who eyes visitors with a weary look. Narcisa Claveria will turn 89 this year, two days before Christmas. Why did that happen to me?" She kept her past from her children until "comfort women" began speaking out in the 1990s.Įditor's note: This story contains graphic descriptions of sexual and physical violence. A year before, a Japanese soldier sliced her ear and threatened to behead her if she didn't go to a garrison with him she was raped over 10 days. Fedencia Nacar David holds her photo for an application to work as a maid. ![]()
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