sis 640 international communication presentation: rape as a weapon of war-case of "comfort...
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An Evolution in Women’s International Human Rights
Rape as a Weapon of War
Presenters: Abby Buskager, Sara Ko, Laine Cavanaugh, Erica Freund
Analyze the role of international media in shaping and reconstructing the narrative of “comfort women”
Objective:Understanding the Issue
Communication Theories: Understanding the Issue
❖O’Loughlin and Roselle’s “Strategic Narratives”
❖Manuel Castell’s “Communication Power”
Rape: A Strategic Weapon❖ Well organized and systematic❖ ‘Wounding Honor’
- Strategy aimed at relatives of victims- Marred the honor and competence of
those unable to protect their women❖ 1938 “Kristallnacht”
❖ 1945 Soviet counterattack campaign
- As Russian soldiers advanced and eventually occupied Berlin they raped nearly 1 million German women (Smith 269)
The Start of the Discussion: 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
❖ Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
❖ Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
❖Article 4: No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
❖Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Re-Framing the Narrative: Case of “Comfort Women”
❖ 80,000-200,000 women and girls forcibly conscripted into sexual slavery by Japanese Imperial Army from 1932 to 1945
❖ Majority from Korea but many also from China, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies
❖ Forgotten, dark war-time past and crime until August 1991 when former comfort woman Kim Hak-sun publicly reveals her story
❖ Several other victims follow “Grandma Kim’s” footsteps and filed a lawsuit in Tokyo district court for “crimes against humanity”
❖ Former comfort women cite “shame,” “disgrace,” and “judgment” as main reasons for silencing atrocities
❖ During “spearheaded “mission” by Japanese government, Korean “middle brokers” working under Japanese rule participated to deceive and “recruit” victims
“Comfort Women” Issue: Domestic to Global
Timeline: ❖ Late 1980s: Korean religious and secular human rights
NGOs put public spotlight on “comfort women” issue❖ August 1991: Kim Hak-sun story❖ February 1992: Comfort women issue raised at United
Nations Commission on Human Rights ❖ 1995: Japanese government creates Asian Women’s Fund
but receives international criticism for providing “moral” yet lack of “legal” responsibility
❖ February 6, 1996: The UN officially condemns Japan for sexual slavery
❖ Today: Japanese government continues to deny “forcible sexual slavery” and argues all “compensation” already made during 1965 Normalization Treaty
“Comfort Women” Issue: The Role of International Communication
Narratives of Comfort Women issue ashuman rights issue on the global stage:
❖ Weekly Wednesday protests in front of Japanese Embassy in Seoul begins since January 1992
❖ Various foreign media record and publish “comfort women” stories
❖ Prominent international NGOs (i.e. Amnesty International) create reports and testimonies of former comfort women for global distribution
❖ With Information Age, individual protesters and other civic groups become more active participants in disseminating “comfort women” issue
The Narrative: Comfort Women in the International Arena❖ 2007 Resolution passed in the US House of Representatives: “should
formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces’ coercion of young women into sexual slavery.”
❖ United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay: said on 6 August 2014 that Japan “has failed to pursue a comprehensive, impartial and lasting resolution” to address the rights of “comfort women” from the Second World War.
❖ Japanese Foreign Ministry Ambassador in charge of human rights and humanitarian issues, Kuni Sato: asked for revisions to comfort women statements, October 14, 2014.
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