76 years is too long for justice. It is now or never for the "comfort women."

"Comfort women" were trafficked from more than 13 countries, including China, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, as well as Japan. The "comfort women" system reinforced a larger military culture of sexual and gender-based violence, including against American, British, Australian, and European rape victims.

As one of the last surviving "comfort women," 93-year-old Lee Yong-soo halmoni is calling for a survivor-centered resolution of Japan's liability for military sexual slavery. She has proposed TWO related and compatible options for resolving the issue.

On February 16, 2021, she urged the South Korean and Japanese governments to submit the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations' highest tribunal. A determination by the ICJ, among other recourses, has been recommended by multiple authorities (here, here, and here). Because the "comfort women" system operated across multiple nations, such a case would also cover the full scope of Japan's wartime military sexual slavery and human trafficking system. Read the accompanying Open Letter here.

On October 26, 2021, she urged the South Korean government to unilaterally refer the issue for resolution under the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT). This process does not require Japan's consent and would lead to investigation, fact-finding, and recommendations by the UN Committee Against Torture. The Committee has previously issued observations on Japanese military sexual slavery (pp. 8-9) and the 2015 announcement (pp. 12-13). If the matter is not settled by arbitration, South Korea can bring the dispute to the ICJ.

Please sign the Change.org petition linked here to support

Lee Yong-soo halmoni's plea for justice.