PH government “violated the rights” of Filipinas victim of sexual slavery during Japanese occupation

The United Nations (UN) said that the Philippines government had “violated the rights” of the victims of sexual slavery (Malaya lolas) perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II by failing to pay reparations.

In a historic 19-page decision issued March 8, the UN found that the Philippine government was in breach of its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in refusing to assist the Malaya Lolas in filing claims against Japan. 

The UN recommended that the Philippines provide full reparation, including recognition and redress, an official apology and material and moral damages, for the continuous discrimination that the Malaya Lolas suffered restitution, rehabilitation, and satisfaction. 

The CEDAW decision also highlighted a recommendation that the Philippines should establish a nationwide reparation scheme for victims of war crimes, as well as a state-sanctioned fund to provide compensation for the victims. 

They also recommended that the Philippines create a memorial to preserve the site of the Bahay ng Pula in San Ildefonso, Pampanga, where the women were detained and tortured in 1944. 

The UN, more importantly, had asked that the Philippines integrate the history of victims of wartime violence, including that of the Malaya Lolas, in school curricula, as “remembrance is critical to a sensitive understanding of the history of human rights violations endured by these women.