Their grandmothers were “comfort women” in World War II. That’s how it changed their lives.

This week, women gathered in downtown Chicago to plead for justice for one of the darkest and least discussed legacies of World War II, the forced slavery of “comfort women.”

“Their stories are often forgotten and, when recognized, either discredited or cast aside. The trauma they faced is still alive and well, often passing down intergenerationally as a remnant of horrific Japanese colonization and imperialism,” Twitter/X user @petaIsbough wrote in a 2021 thread, explaining the experiences of “comfort women “, as one’s grandson. of the 200,000 girls and women were forced to “serve” Japanese soldiers during the war.

Many were lured by false promises of better job opportunities, while others were kidnapped, most of the girls were Korean, while others were of Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipino or other Asian descent. According to researchers at Vassar College and Shanghai Normal University, they were forced to have sex with up to five to 60 men a day.

“Each of us had to serve an average of 30 to 40 men every day, and we often had no time to sleep,” survivor Kim Tokchin recounted in the 1995 book True Histories of the Korean Comfort Women. -they’d rush right into penetration without condoms, saying they couldn’t care less if they got some disease because they’d probably die on the battlefield at any moment. “

According to the Asian Women’s Fund, only 25% of the “comfort women” survived the war. Those who did continued to face harsh conditions at home.

“Survivors who returned to their home country were ostracized, victim-blamed and not accepted in the community,” said Ji-Hye Kim, executive director of Kan-Win, an organization focused on eradicating violence based on gender. in Asian communities.

Because of the stigma, many survivors kept quiet about the horrors they endured.

“In my family history, I don’t know (if relatives were ‘comfort women’). Many victims and survivors who returned home did not talk about it,” Kim said.

A 2016 documentary “The Apology” highlights the stories of three survivors, two of whom have not shared their stories with their families.

“But there’s a cost,” filmmaker Tiffany Hsiung told New Wave Zine in 2019. “The next generation wouldn’t know there if we refuse to tell them the truth.”

These family secrets can have harrowing effects on the children and grandchildren of the women who keep them. While the atrocities of World War II may seem like distant history, the trauma inflicted on these women continues to ripple through generations, impacting families across the United States and beyond.

A demand for justice

This week marked the 12th annual Day of Action for “comfort women” survivors, with supporters, descendants and allies demanding recognition from the Japanese government and serving as a reminder that both their trauma and resistance continue.

In 2019, Korean researchers studied the impact of trauma on the offspring of “comfort women” for the first time. They found that 5 out of 6 participants experienced at least one psychiatric disorder, including depression, PTSD, insomnia and alcohol use disorder. Descendants also experienced similar symptoms of shame when discussing the issue.

“Although the participants had not been traumatized themselves, they showed symptoms of hypervigilance, including increased irritability and problems controlling aggression, similar to their mothers,” the researchers wrote.

Dr. Natasha P. Trujillo, author of “And It Wasn’t the Same Again,” who specializes in grief, trauma, eating disorders, and performance psychology, says generational trauma can trickle down from one individual to another, having impact more than just the survivor of the initiative.

“It can be compounded when those initially affected are unable to seek help (or) find resources to move through their trauma in adaptive ways, which can then foster maladaptive cycles that lead to generational effects,” she said.

In the US, organizations like KAN-WIN work to provide resources and advocacy for survivors and their descendants, pushing for recognition, education and reparations.

“The Japanese government has never officially admitted to doing this,” Kim said. “It’s just a reflection of sexual violence these days, where survivors face so much backlash when they speak out and a lot of times it’s victim-blaming and there’s no accountability.”

How trauma affects our offspring

While there is not an abundance of research that specifically focuses on the experiences of children and grandchildren of people who have been sexually abused or raped, several studies and resources shed light on the potential impact:

1. Intergenerational trauma: Generational trauma or intergenerational trauma refers to this inherited trauma that can stem from cultural or economic events such as racism and war, to personal experiences such as mental or physical abuse that lead to conditions such as anxiety, depression, heart disease and PTSD. . It has been seen in the descendants of survivors of long periods of oppression, such as slavery and the Holocaust, and can last through generations for hundreds of years, Sophie Cress, LMFT and Certified Gottman Therapist told Reckon in April.
2. Secondary trauma: Some studies suggest that children and grandchildren of survivors may experience what’s called “secondary trauma” or “vicarious trauma,” experiencing trauma through knowledge of an event rather than experiencing it themselves, according to child welfare consultant Dr. Connie K .Hayek. This occurs when individuals are exposed to the trauma of others through stories, behaviors, or emotional responses, resulting in symptoms similar to those experienced by the primary survivor.
3. Epigenetics: Emerging research in the field of epigenetics suggests that trauma can leave an imprint on a person’s genes, potentially influencing the gene expression of their offspring. In other words, we can inherit trauma, according to neuroepigenetic researchers. This may explain why some offspring of trauma survivors may experience increased vulnerability to certain mental health conditions. add line spacing
4. Family dynamics: Divorce coach Kate Anthony, who specializes in navigating separation and abusive relationships, said Reckon’s generational trauma can impact both our DNA and how we treat the people around us.
   1. “Trauma impacts how we function in relationships, so a parent who experiences trauma will parent, infusing their day-to-day actions, disrupting healthy attachment with their children, or having a shorter temper,” said it.
   2. Studies have shown that the trauma of sexual abuse and rape can have a significant impact on family dynamics. This can lead to communication difficulties, emotional distance and unhealthy coping mechanisms within the family unit. According to children who grow up in such environments they may struggle with feelings of insecurity, shame and lack of confidence.
5. Resilience and post-traumatic growth: While the potential negative impacts are significant, it is important to note that many descendants of trauma survivors also demonstrate remarkable resilience and post-traumatic growth, including “comfort woman” and activist Kim Hak-Soon, who was the first to share it publicly. story. They can develop a heightened sense of empathy, advocacy for social justice, and a strong desire to break the cycle of trauma for future generations.

Moving beyond sexual trauma and Asian stereotypes

For many descendants, the path to healing begins with breaking the silence. By sharing their stories and connecting with others, they are not only honoring the suffering of their ancestors, but also reclaiming their family history.

According to Indiana University Health, identifying and treating trauma is key to preventing the impact on future generations.

“(Adverse childhood experiences) tend to be passed down as if it’s genetic, but it’s a culture that’s passed down from generation to generation within families,” IU Health psychiatrist R. Andrew Chambers, MD told Thrive. “If you have the right mental level. health and addictions care for the adult population — especially those who have and are raising children — that’s the best possible way to disrupt it.”

Trujillo argues that we don’t necessarily heal trauma, we integrate it into our lives.

“We’re not moving on from trauma or significant loss, but we’re figuring out how to move forward. We are forever changed and that’s okay, but we don’t want to send the message that you heal and go back to your previous self. That sets people up for failure,” she said.

She also said that being aware of how traumatic events have affected us or those around us helps break the cycles.

“When we understand our history and those who have impacted our journey, we are able to make sense of things and integrate those experiences into our lives more fully. This allows for a more comprehensive view/understanding of why we are the way we are and why our loved ones are the way they are.

In Asian communities, cultural taboos surrounding sexual violence prevent many from acknowledging the experience of “comfort women” and other survivors, further perpetuating cycles of evil in their own communities and beyond.

“Currently, even in America, conviction rates or even arrest rates for perpetrators of sexual violence are extremely low. So committing these acts of violence and the lack of accountability normalizes rape culture, and especially for Asian women,” Kim said.

Asian women continue to face racial and sexual harassment in the US. According to RISE, women faced 60% of all hate crimes reported to Stop AAPI Hate from 2020 to 2022. A March 2022 report by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum also funds that 74% of women AAPIs experienced discrimination that year, and 38% reported experiencing sexual harassment.

Kim told Reckon that the issue is often portrayed as a nationalistic issue of Japan versus Korea, but the reality is much darker.

“Some researchers argue that if the Chinese survivors were ever counted, then the standard of 200,000 casualties would rise to 400,000 casualties. There are victims and survivors in the Philippines, there are victims and survivors who are in the Dutch Indies and all these different territories that were affected,” she said. “I’m just trying to distract from the stories of the survivors and what they’ve been through.”

The journey to healing is long and arduous, but for the descendants of the “comfort women,” it is a journey filled with hope, resilience, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. Their stories are a testament to the enduring power of family, memory and the ability of the human spirit to overcome even the darkest chapters.