“Not trying seed hate”, granddaughter of Australian ‘Comfort Women’ victim says

People who are trying to raise awareness of so-called Comfort Women here in Australia, say with one voice that they want to help people reconcile with history, not to incite hatred towards a certain racial group.

Ruby Challenger with her grandmother Jan Ruff-O'Herne Source: Supplied by Ruby Challenger

South Korea marked its first official ‘Memorial Day for Comfort Women’ on August 14.

It is the day a comfort woman victim Kim Hak-sun became the first to speak publicly about her experience 27 years ago.

The issue of so-called Comfort Women is not something Australian general public hold close to their heart.

Yet there are people who have been working hard to raise awareness, believing that we all should learn lesson and prevent the same history from repeating; among them is Ruby Challenger, a granddaughter of Australian comfort woman Jan Ruff-O’Herne.

Peace Statue committee with Ruby Challenger (Photographed by Andrew Lee) Source: Supplied by Andrew Lee

Ruby Challenger directed her first short film ‘Daily Bread’ based on her grandmother’s story as a war prisoner and is in the process of turning it into a feature film to fulfil her grandmother’s wish.

She emphasises that, although her work is “keeping these stories alive in the public eye” through her own means, to seed hate towards the Japanese is not what she hopes to see as a result of her work.

And that sentiment is echoed by a group of people in Victorian Korean community who are endeavouring to erect a Peace Statue in Melbourne.