Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of SR1073
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Full Text of SR1073  98th General Assembly

SR1073 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, During the Japanese colonial and wartime
3expansion of Asia and the Pacific Islands from 1932 through the
4duration of World War II, approximately 200,000 women and girls
5were coerced into a system of forced military prostitution; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used by
7the Japanese government to describe women and girls forced into
8sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese military at camps,
9known as "comfort stations"; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The majority of "comfort women" were of Korean or
11Chinese descent, but women from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia,
12Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, and the Netherlands were
13also interned in military camps run directly by the Imperial
14Japanese military or private agents working for the military;
15and
 
16    WHEREAS, Some of the women were sold to these military
17camps as minors, others were deceptively recruited by middlemen
18with the promise of employment and financial security, and
19still others were forcibly kidnapped and forced to become
20"sexual slaves" for soldiers stationed throughout the Japanese
21occupied territories; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Approximately three-quarters of the "comfort
2women" died as a direct result of the brutality inflicted on
3them during their internment; some of those who survived were
4left infertile due to sexual violence or sexually transmitted
5diseases; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The stories of the "comfort women" are an
7essential part of the history of human trafficking; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The United Nations reports that 2.4 million people
9across the globe are victims of human trafficking at any one
10time, and 80% of them are being exploited as sexual slaves; and
 
11    WHEREAS, At least 16,000 women and girls are involved in
12the sex trade every year in Chicago, many of whom are victims
13of human trafficking; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois stands against human
15trafficking in all its forms, as evidenced by the 2005
16formation of the Illinois Rescue and Restore Coalition, a
17partnership between the Illinois Department of Human Services
18and the federal government to combat labor and sex trafficking
19in Illinois; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The State of Illinois further showed its
21commitment to fighting human trafficking through Public Act

 

 

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198-0435, which became law last August and allows trafficking
2victims to receive financial assistance to remove "trafficking
3tattoos" that traffickers often use to brand their victims as
4their property; and
 
5    WHEREAS, It is fitting for the Senate to support H.R. 121,
6adopted by the United States House of Representatives in 2007,
7which called upon the Japanese government to stand by its
8statement of remorse for the sexual enslavement of "comfort
9women" by the Imperial Japanese Army and its apology to
10survivors and to educate future generations about these crimes;
11therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL
13ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize and
14support "comfort women" by acknowledging as historical fact the
15suffering they endured during their forced internment in
16Japanese military comfort stations; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we urge all Illinois educators to share with
18students of an appropriate age the story of "comfort women"
19when discussing the history of Asia or World War II, or the
20issue of human trafficking; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That we commit to working toward the inclusion of
22Asian and Asian American experiences, such as the story of

 

 

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1"comfort women" and the forced incarceration of Japanese
2Americans during World War II, in history and social science
3curricula used in Illinois public schools; and be it further
 
4    RESOLVED, That we reaffirm our commitment to ending all
5forms of violence and trafficking of women in the State of
6Illinois; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
8presented to the executive directors of the Korean American
9Resource & Cultural Center, Korean American Voter Organizing
10Initiative & Community Empowerment, Korean American Women in
11Need, the Japanese American Service Committee, the Cambodian
12Association of Illinois, and Asian Americans Advancing
13Justice-Chicago.