March 20, 2014

Media Release

Re: An Evening Workshop: The “Comfort Women” and Contemporary Forms of Sexual Violence Against Women

On March 25^th, from 6-9 p.m., BC Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (BC ALPHA), UBC Awareness of WWII in Asia Club (AWWA), and UBC Association of Korean-Canadian Scientists and Engineers (AKCSE) are co-organizing an evening workshop at UBC titled, The “Comfort Women” and Contemporary Forms of Sexual Violence Against Women. The primary purpose of the workshop is to raise awareness of the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery during WWII in terms of both the historical phenomenon and the social justice movement that has been spearheaded by survivors since 1991. The workshop will furthermore be an opportunity to highlight connections between the “Comfort Women” issue and contemporary forms of sexual slavery and sexualized violence in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. A panel of local experts will specifically focus on forms of sexualized violence in the Greater Vancouver Area. Workshop participants will listen to academic presentations, engage in large- and small-group discussions, and have the opportunity to ask questions to the panel of local experts.

The keynote speakers for the event are Dr. Leonora Angeles from UBC, Angela Lytle from UofT, and Jude Lee from the Korean Council in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Angeles is an Associate Professor at the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning and Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. Angela Lytle is the Executive Director of the international Women’s Human Rights Education Institute (WHRI) and is currently conducting her PhD research on embodied learning and feminist human rights education. Jude Lee an International Committee Member of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Sexual Slavery by Japan, and has represented the Korean Council at the United Nations.

The panel of local experts will include:

Jassy Bindra – Human Trafficking Coordinator, RCMP
Hilla Kerner – Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter
Suzanne Jay – Asian Women’s Coalition to End Prostitution
Anastasia Gaisenok – Project Coordinator, Justice Education Society

The workshop is open to the public, but registration is required. A full program schedule and more detailed information is available on the registration website at:

https://comfortwomen.eventbrite.ca

While journalists and media representatives are invited to attend and cover the event, only registered persons will be allowed access. Requests for interviews may be directed to the following contact persons:

Heather Evans (for English-language interviews)
Education Director, BC Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (BC ALPHA)
education@alpha-canada.org
604-618-7989

Gabriella Wong (for Chinese-language interviews)
UBC Awareness of WWII in Asia Club (AWWA)
gabytwong@gmail.com
778-388-3538

Peter Won (for Korean-language interviews)
Association of Korean-Canadian Scientists and Engineers (AKCSE)
778-387-2464