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The Forgotten Ones Jan Ruff-O'Herne "There were things that didn't make sense. But nothing, nothing at all, no hint to indicate that something as shocking as this had happened to her." Eileen Mitton, daughter "I had to tell Eileen and Carol. But how can you tell your daughters, you know? I mean, the shame, the shame was still so great. I knew I had to tell them but I couldn't tell them face to face ... so I decided to write it down." Jan Ruff-O'Herne Jan Ruff O'Herne is a gentle, articulate woman who lives in a quiet suburb of Adelaide. For decades, the mother and grandmother hid a terrible secret - an experience in her past so shameful she lived in constant fear her children would one day find out. Jan and her family were taken captive when the Japanese invaded Indonesia during World War Two. Like an estimated 200,000 women in the Asia-Pacific region, Jan was removed from the prison camp and forced into sexual slavery. These 'Comfort Women' were hand-picked to service Japanese military officers in organised brothels. In 1992, three Korean 'Comfort Women' shocked the world with their demands of an apology and compensation from Japan, whose government had denied these events ever took place. Jan then decided the time had come for her speak out, fifty years after her harrowing experience. Although shocked by what had happened to their mother, Jan's children now support her 'mission' in campaigning world wide for the protection of women in war. |
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