Authors:
- Myriam Denov, School of Social Work, McGill University - Google Scholar, ORCID, SciProfiles, Wikipedia

- Shu-Hua Kang, 會工作學系 (Department of Social Work), 國立臺北大學 (National Taipei University)- Google Scholar, ORCID, ResearchGate

Abstract: »Previous studies have found that Taiwanese comfort women survivors faced multiple forms of trauma from the comfort women system, and that societal prejudice against women’s sexual victimization further impacted their marriages. However, there is minimal research exploring how sexual trauma may have impacted comfort women survivors’ experiences of motherhood, alongside the consequences of survivors’ experiences on subsequent generations. This article explores the perceptions of eight family members, including the second and third generations, of three deceased Taiwanese Han-Chinese ethnicity comfort women survivors. In particular, we trace family members’ perspectives of survivors’ mothering, and how family members were impacted by their mother’s experiences as a comfort woman. To ensure participants’ anonymity, findings are presented using composite narratives. The narratives illustrate the ways in which survivors’ sexual trauma reportedly impacted survivors’ family formation and mothering, and had long-term effects on survivors’ offspring. According to family members, ambivalent mother–daughter relationships and conflictual relationships resulting from the preferential treatment of the male offspring were found. In addition, family members’ psychological well-being, marriages, personality, and parenting were impacted by survivors’ sexual trauma and conflictual family dynamics. Nevertheless, participants showed great strength and capacity under challenging circumstances and actively undertook their healing journey. We highlight the importance of providing culture-driven multilayered services for the families of comfort women survivors to foster intergenerational resilience, enabling them to continue to “walk out of the shadows” of conflict-related sexual violence.« (Source: Transcultural Psychiatry)

Contents:

	Abstract (p. 1)
	Introduction (p. 1)
	Literature review (p. 2)
		Structural realities, gendered norms, and family formation: The impact on Taiwanese comfort women and their descendants (p. 2)
		Mothering and family life in the aftermath of conflicted-related sexual violence (p. 3)
	Methodology (p. 3)
		Recruitment (p. 4)
		Ethical considerations (p. 4)
		Interview procedure (p. 4)
		Data analysis and presentation of the data (p. 4)
	Findings: Ling’s family story—Hui, Ming, and Yu (p. 5)
		Multiple structural oppressions leading to Ling’s comfort woman victimization (p. 5)
		Ling’s post-war silence and shame (p. 5)
		Motherhood and intergenerational realities: Navigating sexual trauma and cultural gender norms (p. 6)
			Ambivalent mother–daughter relationships (p. 6)
			Conflictual relationships resulting from the interplay of sexual trauma, gender norms and male preferential treatment (p. 7)
			Marriage and (grand)parenting (p. 7)
		Walking out of the shadows: Change, activism, and resilience (p. 8)
			Breaking the “curse”: Efforts by the second and third generations (p. 8)
			Participation in the comfort women redress movement (p. 8)
	Discussion (p. 9)
	Conclusion and implications (p. 10)
	Acknowledgements (p. 11)
	Declaration of conflicting interests (p. 11)
	Funding (p. 11)
	Notes (p. 11)
	References (p. 11)

Wikipedia: History of Asia: History of Japan / Shōwa era | History of Asia: History of Taiwan / Taiwan under Japanese rule, History of Taiwan (1945–present) | Prostitution: Forced prostitution / Comfort women | Sex and the law: Wartime sexual violence / Sexual violence in World War II | War: Pacific War / Japanese war crimes