“Comfort Women” Passage
Background
The 2017 California History-Social Science (H-SS) Framework includes content on “comfort women.”[1] This signifies the need to learn more from this crime against humanity in relation to World War II in Asia, as well as to consider its relevance to the past and present. The draft adopted on July 14, 2016 added a link to the 2015 “comfort women” agreement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Since the agreement is presented as “final and irreversible,” it can mislead educators into believing that the matter has been settled unequivocally, while in reality this agreement excluded the views of victims and was made in secret as the Special Task Force of South Korea reported on December 27, 2017.
The final draft of the passage published in 2017 includes links to both the Japanese and South Korean MOFA sites. However, as of March 2020, the South Korean MOFA website only displays the message: “The website addresses of the Korean Embassies and consulates have been recently changed. Thank you.”
In spite of the added links from the South Korean and Japanese MOFAs, the final draft of this passage, which is placed in the 10th grade 2017 H-SS Framework section 10.8—titled “Causes and Consequences of WWII”—after the question “How was the war mobilized on different fronts?” (p. 353), is an excellent starting point for teaching students about the devastating impact of WWII in Asia. This topic provides: 1) more comprehensive historical understanding of WWII in different Asian countries, from where many California students’ families originate; 2) awareness of women’s rights and dignity in the context of institutionalized sexual slavery; and 3) examples of the impact of civic engagement, including strengthening the #MeToo movement. Compared to drug and gun trades, which are on a one-time basis, sex trafficking is considered more “profitable” because the victims remain captive and at the mercy of the traffickers’ demands. Consequently, girls and women are extremely vulnerable targets in both armed and non-armed conflict areas. The fact that such inhumane crimes continue to destroy girls’ and women’s lives makes this topic gravely important and critically relevant to teach in today’s classrooms.
Using Framework to Teach “Comfort Women” History and Issues
The 2017 California H-SS Framework[2] strongly emphasizes several areas: providing greater content knowledge; inquiry-based critical thinking skills in connection with multiple disciplines; stronger literacy skills; and citizenship that promotes human rights and democratic values in the history and social sciences curriculum. In terms of content knowledge, the framework encourages more inclusive history curriculum, reflective of California’s rich diversity. According to the California History-Social Science Project, a lead author of the new H-SS Framework, 21.6 percent of the total school enrollment in California’s public schools (2012–2013) was classified as English learners. This signifies how necessary it is to provide students with more content-specific informational texts that are relevant to and reflective of diverse populations. The history of “comfort women” included in the 10th grade 2017 H-SS Framework is relevant to tragedies that destroyed the lives of women and girls in many countries, including Bangladesh, Bosnia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Human trafficking and sexual slavery are currently affecting the female populations of but not limited to Yazidis, Rohingya, and Haitians. In order to study this history in relation to today and with a more inclusive curriculum, this resource guide provides teachers with primary and secondary resources, questions, and relevant topics to encourage students to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills as well as comparative thinking strategies. Students will develop historical thinking skills, a deeper understanding of the issues, and realize the importance of civic engagement by: comparing and contrasting causes and consequences of war crimes; the vastly different historical accounts of the perpetrators versus the victims; and the political interests of countries involved.
[1] California Department of Education History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools : Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, Sacramento, 2017, p. 353.
[2] California Department of Education History- Social Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, Sacramento, 2017.
The 2017 California History-Social Science (H-SS) Framework includes content on “comfort women.”[1] This signifies the need to learn more from this crime against humanity in relation to World War II in Asia, as well as to consider its relevance to the past and present. The draft adopted on July 14, 2016 added a link to the 2015 “comfort women” agreement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Since the agreement is presented as “final and irreversible,” it can mislead educators into believing that the matter has been settled unequivocally, while in reality this agreement excluded the views of victims and was made in secret as the Special Task Force of South Korea reported on December 27, 2017.
The final draft of the passage published in 2017 includes links to both the Japanese and South Korean MOFA sites. However, as of March 2020, the South Korean MOFA website only displays the message: “The website addresses of the Korean Embassies and consulates have been recently changed. Thank you.”
In spite of the added links from the South Korean and Japanese MOFAs, the final draft of this passage, which is placed in the 10th grade 2017 H-SS Framework section 10.8—titled “Causes and Consequences of WWII”—after the question “How was the war mobilized on different fronts?” (p. 353), is an excellent starting point for teaching students about the devastating impact of WWII in Asia. This topic provides: 1) more comprehensive historical understanding of WWII in different Asian countries, from where many California students’ families originate; 2) awareness of women’s rights and dignity in the context of institutionalized sexual slavery; and 3) examples of the impact of civic engagement, including strengthening the #MeToo movement. Compared to drug and gun trades, which are on a one-time basis, sex trafficking is considered more “profitable” because the victims remain captive and at the mercy of the traffickers’ demands. Consequently, girls and women are extremely vulnerable targets in both armed and non-armed conflict areas. The fact that such inhumane crimes continue to destroy girls’ and women’s lives makes this topic gravely important and critically relevant to teach in today’s classrooms.
- 2017 California History-Social Science (H-SS) Framework Draft Proposed Before July 14, 2016
- 2017 California History-Social Science (H-SS) Framework Draft Adopted Draft on July 14, 2016
- 2017 California History-Social Science (H-SS) Framework Published Draft, June 2017
Using Framework to Teach “Comfort Women” History and Issues
The 2017 California H-SS Framework[2] strongly emphasizes several areas: providing greater content knowledge; inquiry-based critical thinking skills in connection with multiple disciplines; stronger literacy skills; and citizenship that promotes human rights and democratic values in the history and social sciences curriculum. In terms of content knowledge, the framework encourages more inclusive history curriculum, reflective of California’s rich diversity. According to the California History-Social Science Project, a lead author of the new H-SS Framework, 21.6 percent of the total school enrollment in California’s public schools (2012–2013) was classified as English learners. This signifies how necessary it is to provide students with more content-specific informational texts that are relevant to and reflective of diverse populations. The history of “comfort women” included in the 10th grade 2017 H-SS Framework is relevant to tragedies that destroyed the lives of women and girls in many countries, including Bangladesh, Bosnia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Human trafficking and sexual slavery are currently affecting the female populations of but not limited to Yazidis, Rohingya, and Haitians. In order to study this history in relation to today and with a more inclusive curriculum, this resource guide provides teachers with primary and secondary resources, questions, and relevant topics to encourage students to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills as well as comparative thinking strategies. Students will develop historical thinking skills, a deeper understanding of the issues, and realize the importance of civic engagement by: comparing and contrasting causes and consequences of war crimes; the vastly different historical accounts of the perpetrators versus the victims; and the political interests of countries involved.
[1] California Department of Education History-Social Science Framework for California Public Schools : Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, Sacramento, 2017, p. 353.
[2] California Department of Education History- Social Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, Sacramento, 2017.
