The discrimination and harassment toward Asian American women remain rampant in the United States and societal changes should be made to tackle the problem, according to an opinion piece published on USA Today.

Referring to the Asian women's roles as sex slaves in U.S. military, involvement in wars including the Korean War and the Vietnam War, Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), wrote "this sordid history has imposed upon Asian American women a dangerous present" in the article titled "A year after Atlanta spa shootings, misogynistic racism still endangers Asian American women" published on Monday.

NAPAWF just finished a first-of-its-kind survey of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women's safety. In Choimorrow's opinion, the survey results "were damning."

According to the survey, 74 percent of AAPI women say they experienced racism or discrimination in the previous 12 months, more than half identify a stranger as the perpetrator and 47 percent report experiencing racism and discrimination in a public space.

Recalling the deadly Atlanta spa shootings last March and what the shooter said about his intention, Choimorrow wrote that "these shootings, and the surge of hate crimes targeting Asian American women, are inseparable from the centuries of anti-Asian and anti-women violence that put the shooter's finger on the trigger."

Listing some of the crimes Asian American women in the U.S. have suffered in recent years, Choimorrow called on people to act, to "move forward", to "manifest real change".

"Our silence cannot be the status quo – and the legacy of the women killed cannot be inaction," wrote Choimorrow.

Besides changing stereotyped narratives about the crimes of the kind, Choimorrow urged state and federal governments to direct more resources to prevent hate crimes, not just addressing them after they occur.

"Leaders should invest in the organizations supporting the AAPI community by conducting much-needed research, sharing accurate Asian American history and providing anti-harassment resources," she wrote.

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Eight killed, including six Asian women, in three Atlanta-area spa shootings