2021 International Youth Artwork Competition:
Raising awareness about registering the “Voices of the ‘Comfort Women’” to
the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme
Raising awareness about registering the “Voices of the ‘Comfort Women’” to
the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme
In May 2015, the International Committee for Joint Nomination (ICJN) of Documents on the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” submitted an application for the “Voices of the ‘Comfort Women’” to be added to the UNESCO Memory of the World (MOW) Programme. A day or days prior, three right-wing groups in Japan and one group in the U.S. also applied for registration in the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme with six cases that deny the forced nature of the Japanese military sexual slavery system.
Organized in 2015, the ICJN is composed of 14 groups from various countries, including Korea, Japan, China, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor. The “Voices of the ‘Comfort Women’” is a collection of documents that contain the stories of “comfort women.”
In October 2017, the application was “postponed” pending “dialogue” between the applicants and the Japanese government. The revised criteria state that when an application is contested, applicants need to “talk” through a third party. This revision of pursuing “dialogue” in cases where an application is contested legitimizes the perpetrator’s veto power and amounts to demanding that victims negotiate with perpetrators.
Organized in 2015, the ICJN is composed of 14 groups from various countries, including Korea, Japan, China, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Timor. The “Voices of the ‘Comfort Women’” is a collection of documents that contain the stories of “comfort women.”
In October 2017, the application was “postponed” pending “dialogue” between the applicants and the Japanese government. The revised criteria state that when an application is contested, applicants need to “talk” through a third party. This revision of pursuing “dialogue” in cases where an application is contested legitimizes the perpetrator’s veto power and amounts to demanding that victims negotiate with perpetrators.