Drawing on legal reforms across different countries and cultural contexts, the author, a legal scholar, examines how rape myths continue to shape sexual assault laws and legal outcomes and proposes measures for reform.

Nam Kijeong (Institute for Japanese Studies, Seoul National University)/ Cho Yanghyeon (Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security)/ Cho Sihyeon (The Center of Historical Truth and Justice)

The World Court of Women has held over 30 sessions since 1992, hearing from survivors of violence, conflict and war from around the world.

The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on the Trial of Japan's Military Sexual Slavery in 2000 (hereinafter the ‘Women's International War Crimes Tribunal 2000’), which was hosted in Tokyo, Japan from December 8 to 12, 2000, was a people’s tribunal[1] that held the Japanese government – the perpetrating state - and Emperor Hirohito responsible for war crimes. It was viewed as the most appropriate alternative plan devised at a time when it was no longer feasible to hold a legally effective international court with any cooperation from the Japanese government. 

Written by Shin Ki-young, Professor at Ochanomizu University, Japan

Colonialism and apartheid were both predicated on the marginalization and subjugation of the population in terms of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, and culture.

This article examines the Japanese military “comfort women” issue through the lens of women’s human rights, extending the discussion to structural violence against women, social exclusion, and economic inequality. It further calls for victim-centered social restructuring and redistribution.

Clearly, liberal democratic initiatives such as the enshrinement of women's rights will continue to fail until structural inequalities, as well as the social norms that allow gender-based violence, are confronted