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Military refuses former prostitutes compensation

The legislature's defense committee yesterday endorsed a Ministry of National Defense decision to dismiss a petition from a civil organization on behalf of former military prostitutes that asks the government for compensation.

Members of the committee, including lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, unanimously supported the ministry's decision on the grounds that the military prostitutes were not forced into the trade by the government.

The Taiwan Nation-building Forum, the civil organization which filed the petition on behalf of the former prostitutes, expressed regret that the petition was dismissed.

Fu Yun-chin (傅雲欽), manager of the organization, told the Taipei Times that if the Japanese government should pay compensation to Taiwan women who had worked as "comfort women" during World War II, the Taiwan government should compensate military prostitutes as well.

"The military prostitutes suffered the same as the comfort women. The military prostitution had been enforced for four decades, while the comfort women system lasted for only four years," Fu said.

"It is just not right for the government to operate brothels in the military. Regardless of whether the military prostitutes were forced into the trade or not, the government should compensate them for humanitarian reasons," he said.

Colonel Shou Hsiang-sheng (首庠生), who is responsible for handling the petition, said the military prostitutes didn't deserve compensation.

"Military brothels were born out of necessity during the 1950s. Many servicemen at that time were single. The opening of brothels in the military was aimed at preventing violations of discipline from happening," Shou said.

The practice was later abolished in Taiwan proper in 1974 and on the offshore islands Kinmen and Matsu in 1992 as the military established other forms of entertainment for the servicemen, Shou said.

"Military brothels were established according to relevant regulations. Women who were willing to work in military brothels had to sign a contract with agents of the military, who were responsible for recruiting women," he said.

"Underaged girls and married women were strictly forbidden from working in military brothels. There were never any military prostitutes who were forced into the trade," he said.

"This is the reason why no woman who worked as a military prostitute has ever asked the government for compensation," he said. "Besides, it was not the military that hired the prostitutes. Rather, it was agents who were responsible for the recruitment of women for the military."

Responding to the military's explanation, Fu said that while no former military prostitute has ever come out to ask for compensation, the government should still meet the request.

"It is true that we have not met any such woman. But we just cannot tolerate the fact that only comfort women are being taken seriously by the public. The military prostitutes' suffering should be paid attention to as well," Fu said.
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