The Horrors of the Red House Our World

Now it's time for Our World.

This is the story of the extraordinary women who suffered

great horrors in the Red House and in countless places like it

across the Philippines.

They want to make sure their ordeal isn't forgotten.

They want justice.

Mileng is 85.

Her sister Lita is 83.

The sisters have lived their whole lives in Mapanique,

in the Philippines.

The Second World War changed their lives completely.

This woman lives with her sons and grandsons in Manila.

This woman lives with her sons and grandsons in Manila.

She's 88 years old and earns a living through sewing.

She is still haunted by what happened many decades ago.

She was 14 when Japanese soldiers bombed her village

and kidnapped her.

She was held captive and repeatedly raped for ten days.

She had become part of what historians believe is one

of the biggest operations of sexual violence in modern history,

the deliberate enslavement of up to 200,000 women across Asia

for the pleasure of Japanese soldiers, the so-called "comfort

women".

Many were in South Korea but far less is known about the victims

in the Philippines.

But as the war went on, the operation unravelled.

Japanese soldiers started using rape to subdue towns and villages.

What they did in Mapanique, where sisters Lita and Mileng live,

was particularly violent.

Over 100 women and girls were raped in the Red House that night.

And over the course of the war, many more were raped or forced

into sexual slavery across the country.

The passage of more than 70 years has not given the women closure.

Over the years, the Japanese government has expressed sincere

remorse and apologies, but the women are demanding a full

public apology, which accepts responsibility for what happened.

This group is preparing a petition for the Japanese embassy in Manila.

These women are all in their 80s and 90s.

The oldest member is 99.

This is about easing the last few years of wounded lives.

But time is running out.

Of the estimated 1,000 Filipina victims, only about 70

are still alive.

Across town there's a different campaign.

86-year-old great-grandmother Estellita is part of a group that

stages public rallies to demand justice from Japan and call

for peace in the region.

Rising tensions with China over the South China Sea have brought

the Philippines closer to Japan.

They have signed several defence deals and there is one on the cards

now which could see Japanese troops back on Philippine soil.

We are already victims of war, so we don't want wars

in our country.

We don't want wars in our town.

We know that war only breeds new generations of war victims.

The call to arms is well worn.

They've been campaigning for nearly 25 years.

In December, 2015, the Japanese government did apologise

to South Korean survivors.

But there's no sign of a similar offer for the Philippines.

The women suspect their government hasn't been pressing Japan hard

enough out of fear it will damage the alliance.

But even so, Estellita's daughter says taking part in rallies has

been a comfort.

When her mum first started in the 1990s,

it was a huge surprise.

Many of the women kept silent for decades out of shame.

Estellita said nothing for 50 years.

In Mapanique, it's Mileng's birthday party.

She has invited the other survivors of the Red House

to join in celebrations.

But her sister Lita seems to have lost count of how old she is.

# Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday to you...#.

CHEERING

These two women have spent their whole lives together,

These two women have spent their whole lives together,

but they almost lost each other.

After they were released from the Red House, it took them

nearly three days to find one another.

MUSIC PLAYS

History books in the Philippines make little mention of the suffering

History books in the Philippines make little mention of the suffering

of their women during the Second World War.

Fidencia has made it her mission to educate young people

about what really happened.

One of her most painful memories is of what took place on the final

night after suffering days of repeated rape and abuse.

This is not just about making sure her story is remembered.

She wants it to be a lesson.

In this very conservative country, only around a third of victims

of rape and sexual abuse come forward.

Hearing Fidencia's story has emboldened one young victim to speak

publicly for the first time.

OK, so right now, I'm feeling shaky because I'm being taken back to that

space where I had to go back to my own sexual abuse.

It happened to me seven years ago.

Moments like this give some solace to a lifetime of suffering.

SINGING

Estellita and her daughter have come to join the Labour Day march.

The baking heat takes its toll.

In the past, two women died after a rally.

But she is resolute.

But she is resolute.