Solidarity Conference 2012

Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

11th Conference 10 December 2012

We, the 85 participants attending the 11th conference, representing China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of China (Taiwan), Korea, and the Philippines, as well as the ‘comfort women’ survivors, Ahma Tao Cheng-Chen from Taiwan, Halmoni Bok-dong Kim from Korea, and Lola Estelita Dy from the Philippines,

Recognizing that the Japanese government had drafted and forced women into sexual slavery in the Japanese military in the Asian-Pacific regions before and during World War II,

Affirming that the Japanese government has failed to issue an official apology publicly and reparations to the victims of sexual slavery, also known as the ‘comfort women’,

Criticizing that Japanese government officials and public figures still made statements that denied the historic fact about sexual slavery and insulted the victims,

Acknowledging the solidarity of victim countries, support groups from the perpetrating country, and international advocacy organizations for over two decades,

Reaffirming that the Japanese government has the obligation and responsibility to admit that the country has committed organized crimes against humanity in the Asian-Pacific regions before and during WWII, so as to include the fact into history textbooks to educate the next generation and prevent the human rights violations from happening again,

Also noting that today, December 10, is the International Human Rights Day adopted by the United Nations, wehereby:

1. Urge the Japanese government to make official apology and reparations to all the victims forced into sexual slavery in the Japanese military before and during WWII;
2. Stress the importance for the Japanese Diet to pass the Bill on the issue of the ‘comfort women’, in recognition of the government’s responsibility for war;
3. Demand the Japanese government to expressly refute any attempt to deny the fact of sexual slavery, and urges the government to condemn such statement publicly;
4. Call upon the government of Japan to educate its citizens about the issue of the ‘comfort women’ based on historic facts;

Action Plan

1. Demand cooperation among governments of the victimized countries and the international community to put pressure on the Japanese government to make official apology and reparations to victims of sexual slavery before and during WWII;
2. Encourage victimized countries and the international community to actively organize campaigns and solidarity activities to raise people’s awareness on the ‘comfort women’ issues on August 14, adopted by the conference as the international memorial day for the comfort women, and also on the week of August 15;
3. Recommend governments and civil society organizations of the victimized countries and the international community to engage the United Nations and other international human rights regimes into the resolution of the issue;
4. Strengthen the connection with global women’s rights movement, including but not limited to the Commission on the Status of Women;
5. Further strengthen the solidarity of the representing countries to take timely actions in the respective countries against insulting statements made by Japanese government officials and public figures;
6. Emphasize the importance of history preservation and education of the ‘comfort women’ issue by means of:
a. including the issue into history textbooks;
b. erecting and building markers, museums, memorials, and monuments;
c. strengthening the network of the aforementioned establishment.