‘Comfort woman’ statue taken down in Philippines

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The “comfort woman” statue in Roxas Boulevard, Manila, capital of Philippines that symbolized the sex slaves abused by Japanese troops during World War II was removed by the local government on Friday, which provoked outrage from local activists.

Ericson Alcovenda, administrator of Manila City Hall, said that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) removed the statue on Friday night to make way for the improvement of the drainage project in that area on Saturday, according to ABS-CBN News.

The "comfort woman" statue in Manila, Philipphines. /VCG Photo

Alcovenda added that three structures along that stretch of Roxas Boulevard will be removed by DPWH.

The seven-foot bronze statue, which depicted a grieving and blindfolded woman in a traditional Philippine gown, was unveiled in Roxas Boulevard on December 8, 2017, and was the first “comfort woman” statue in the Philippines.

Local government removed the statue to make way for the improvement of a drainage project. /China News Photo

The erection of the statue irritated the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines and they constantly negotiated with the local government on the issue. Japanese Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda even voiced regret in January about the Philippine government’s decision to erect the statue.

However, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte responded by saying that it was the constitutional right to erect the statue and it was prohibitive for him to stop it.

The removal of the “comfort woman” statue has triggered outrage from local women’s rights activists and has been viewed as disrespectful to the female victims.

Gabriela, a forefront local woman’s rights organization, expressed its opposition in a statement, alleging that the government was “like a thief in the night, removed the comfort woman statue in Manila”, adding that the move was a "desecration of Filipino women's dignity as it casts a foul insult on hundreds of Filipino sex slaves victimized under the Japanese occupation," according to ABS-CNS News.

A "comfort woman" statue in Canada. /China News Photo

In fact, the “comfort woman” statues can be seen in many countries and regions in the world, including China, South Korea, the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, to remember the women who were sexually abused by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

A "comfort woman" statue in San Francisco, in the United States. /China News Photo

According to Xinhua News Agency, it’s estimated that 200,000 women in their teens from around Asia, including South Korea, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, were forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels during that period.