San Francisco

This memorial is located in the public space (park) on top of the St. Mary's Square Parking Garage in Chinatown of San Francisco, CA. On the left side in the first picture, the statue of three girls standing straight and holding hands together represents represents women from Korea (2nd picture, girl in Hanbok), China (4th picture), and the Philippines (6th picture). The statue of an old lady on the right side in the first picture represents Kim Hak-sun, who is the first survivor to make a testimony about the Japanese Military Comfort Women system on August 14, 1991.

The panel next to those statues says:

"Steven Whyte American, b. England 1969

'Comfort Women' Column of Strength

'Our worst fear is that our history during World War II will be forgotten.' --former 'Comfort Women'

This monument bears witness to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of women and girls, euphemistically called 'Comfort Women,' who were sexually enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forced in thirteen Asian-Pacific countries form 1931 to 1945. Most of these women died during their wartime captivity. This dark history was largely hidden for decades until the 1990s, when the survivors courageously broke their silence. They helped move the world to declare that sexual violence as a strategy of war is a crime against humanity for which governments must held accountable.

This memorial is dedicated to the memory of these women, and to eradicating sexual violence and sex trafficking throughout the world.

Gift of the 'Comfort Women' Justice Coalition

Collection of the CIty and County of San Francisco"