1. Increase public awareness about the comfort women issue, building on the Honda Resolution (H.R. 121), through U.S. and global media coverage of the World Conference.
2. Create a global coalition around Japanese Military Sexual Slavery as an issue symbolizing the need for global peace, social justice, and human rights amongst scholars, lawyers, experts, artists, governments, NGOs.
3. Compile educational materials, including publications, documentaries, and textbooks that accurately depict the "comfort system."
4. Educate students about the "comfort women" issue, war crimes against women, and impress upon them the importance of peace, social justice, and human rights.
5. Draft a "Human Rights Declaration for the Japanese Military Sexual Slaves."
6. Increase the participation of civil society to pressure the Japanese government to offer official apology and proper reparation, as well as meet the other demands of the victims.

1. Despite recommendations by the UN Human Rights Committee, ILO Expert Committee, Amnesty International, and International Commission on Jurists, the Japanese government has offered neither an official apology for the "Comfort System," nor provided reparations to the victims. It has been 62 years since the end of WWII, 61 years since the Far East Military Tribunal, and 7 years since the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery.
2. In the United States, there is increasing awareness and interest in the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Japanese military sexual slaves. For example, Congressman Michael Honda's "Comfort Women" Resolution (H.R. 121), which is sponsored by 152 representatives, brings the issue of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery to the center of U.S. policy, and it recognizes that Japan's crimes are not just as an old problem between Japan and Korea, or even just in Asia, but it is important for global human rights and peace.

Gala Dinner (10/6): The World Conference will host a gala dinner for survivors and participants from around the world at UCLA Faculty Center. Congressman Michael Honda, the author and sponsor of H.R. 121, is the keynote speaker.
Conferences (10/4 – 10/6)
Click here for the full schedule of events for the World Conference.

NGO Conference (10/4): A non-governmental organization ("NGO") conference will be held on October 4, 2007 at Northwest Auditorium in UCLA. Dongsuk Kim of the Korean American Voters' Council will give the keynote address. Representatives who work on the "comfort women" issue around the world will present on the facts and the history of the movement to achieve justice for the survivors.
Academic Conference (10/5): An academic conference will be held on October 5 at UCLA Law School, with renowned scholars and experts from the world. Dai Sil Sim-Gibson (writer and filmmaker) will give the keynote address. Scholars will present and discuss the interconnections of militarism, colonialism, capitalism, racism and sexism, manifested in Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, and their material and discursive effects in contemporary Asia and the world.
Panelists include Professor Cheryl Harris (UCLA Law), Professor Charles Henry (UC Berkeley), Professor Insook Kwon (South Korea), Professor Dinah Shelton (GW Law), Hibaaq Osman (V-Day), Professor Glenn Omatsu, Professor Hyojoung Kim (CSLA), and Debra McNutt (Journalist and commentator).
Students are encouraged to participate in the presentations and discussions and to explore strategies for achieving peace, social justice, and human rights globally.
Legal Conference (10/6): A legal conference will be held on October 6 at UCLA Law School, with pre-eminent legal scholars, jurists, prosecutors and practitioners from around the world. The panels will explore the jurisprudence of the 2000 Women's Tribunal on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, discuss the successes and failures of domestic litigation, and hold a group strategy session on how to obtain restitution for survivors. The conference will also address contemporary issues in trafficking and modern-day sexual slavery. Patricia Sellers is the keynote speaker of legal conference.
Panelists include: Patricia Viseur-Sellers (Legal Advisor, Office of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), Professor Dinah Shelton (George Washington University), Indai Lourdes Sajor (UNDP), Professor Michael Bazyler (Whittier Law School), Professor Emma Coleman Jordan (Georgetown University Law Center), Professor William Aceves (California Western School of Law), Professor Kathleen Kim (Loyola Law School), Nursyahbani Katjasungkana (Lawmaker, Indonesia), and Charles Song (CAST LA), amongst others.
Cultural Events (10/4 – 10/6): During the conference, various cultural events will be presented (e.g., films and art exhibits) with artists and survivors from around the world.
Peace March (10/7): The World Conference will culminate with a Peace March in Los Angeles on October 7 from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Location TBA.
Publications: The organizers of the World Conference will assemble materials presented at the conference for publication and create a documentary about the conference.

JongHwa Lee (Professor, Loyola Marymount University), Paul Hoffman (Attorney at Law, Amnesty International), Rachel Jensen (Attorney at Law), Helen Zeldes (Attorney at Law), Stella Oh (Professor, Loyola Marymount University), Soon Hyung "Roy" Hong, John Duncan (Professor, University of California at Los Angeles), Edward Park (Professor, Loyola Marymount University), Vienna Colucci (Amnesty International), SungHoe Kim (HR 121 California), Michelle Yeung (Information Technology Specialist), Wenshu Lee (Professor, Loyola Marymount University), Walter Chao (ALPHA-LA), MinWha Han (Ph.D. Candidate, Ohio University), William Hoffman (Student, Loyola Marymount University), Edward Chang (Professor, UC Riverside), Dai Sil Kim-Gibson (Writer & Filmmaker), Dong-Suk Kim (Korean Voters Council), Jay Park (Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation in the USA), SoonHyung Hong (HR 121 California), Phyllis Kim (HR 121 California), SungHo Lee (HR 121 California), Dr. Ernest Rose (Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs in LMU), Nam-Hee Lee (Professor, UCLA), Catherine Park (Producer), Phil Chung (Producer), Rev. Kee-Dae Kim (Korean Religious Committee for Peace), Ji-Hee Huh (HR 121 California), Peter Huh (HR 121 California), Suk-Won Yoon (President, Unique Spectronix, Inc.), Keun Hwang (President, Videocity), Stephanie Drenka (student), and Fr. Tae-Young Lee (Korean Catholic Association in Southern California). Janet Margolis and Dana Howng are the event coordinators for the World Conference.

USA:

UCLA School of Law: Asian Pacific American Law Journal (APALJ), Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association (APILSA), Critical Race Studies Program, David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy.
UCLA: Center for Korean Studies, UCLA Asian American Studies Center, UCLA Asian Pacific American Student Association, and UCLA Asian American Studies Graduate Student Association.
Loyola Marymount University: Office of Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs; Department of Communication Studies
University of California at Riverside Department of Ethnic Studies
University of California Berkeley Ethnic Studies Department
International Legal Studies Program, California Western School of Law
Amnesty International
Amnesty International U.S.A.
American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California
American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego
Human Rights Watch -- Southern California
Center for Justice and Accountability

Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking

Advancement Project
Gabriela Network
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
Center for Constitutional Rights
Washington Coalition of Comfort Women Issue
HR 121 Coalition in California
HR 121 Coalition in New York
Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates
Historical Justice Now
ALPHA-LA
Professor Carlos Munoz, Jr.

South Korea:

The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
The House of Sharing
Daegu Citizen Forum for Halmuni
Korea Chungshindae's Institute
UN Human Rights Policy Center
Asia Peace and History Education Network
Korean Council for Redress and Reparations for the Victims of WWII Atrocities
Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities

North Korea:

Committee on Measures for Compensation to Former Korean "Comfort Women for Japanese Army" and Drafting Victims

Japan:

Violence Against Women in War-Network Japan
Women's Active Museum on War and Peace
The Japanese Action Network for the Problem of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery
Japan Network for Redress
The Investigation Team on the Truth about Forced Korean Laborers in Japan

Taiwan:

Women's Rescue Foundation of Taipei

China:

Chinese Alliance for Commemoration of Sino-Japanese War Victims

Indonesia:

The Indonesian Advocacy for Jugun Ianfu Networking

The Philippines:

Lila-Pilipina
Asian Women Human Rights Council

The Netherlands:

Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debt

Germany:

Korean Peace Group in Germany
Korean Women's International Network in Germany

Australia:

Friends of "Comfort Women" in Australia

Canada:

Canada ALPHA

More Information:

Gay McDougal, a former U.N. Special Rapporteur, once said, "Through truth and justice comes reconciliation and healing, and where there is healing for the past, there is hope for the future." Through the World Conference on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, we hope to heal the wounds of victims and create a coalition of those committed to social justice, equality and human rights. Please join this historical event.
To participate, be a sponsor, or for more information, please contact Dr. JongHwa Lee (jhlee@lmu.edu; 310-428-6294) or Rachel Jensen, Esq. (RachelJ@csgrr.com.).