The Horrors of the Red House Our World


The Horrors of the Red House

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Now it's time for Our World.

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This is the story of the extraordinary women who suffered

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

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across the Philippines.

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

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They want justice.

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Mileng is 85.

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Her sister Lita is 83.

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The sisters have lived their whole lives in Mapanique,

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in the Philippines.

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The Second World War changed their lives completely.

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This woman lives with her sons and grandsons in Manila.

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This woman lives with her sons and grandsons in Manila.

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

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She is still haunted by what happened many decades ago.

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She was 14 when Japanese soldiers bombed her village

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and kidnapped her.

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She was held captive and repeatedly raped for ten days.

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She had become part of what historians believe is one

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of the biggest operations of sexual violence in modern history,

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

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

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women".

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

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in the Philippines.

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But as the war went on, the operation unravelled.

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Japanese soldiers started using rape to subdue towns and villages.

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

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was particularly violent.

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

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

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into sexual slavery across the country.

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

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Over the years, the Japanese government has expressed sincere

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remorse and apologies, but the women are demanding a full

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public apology, which accepts responsibility for what happened.

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

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

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The oldest member is 99.

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

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But time is running out.

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

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are still alive.

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Across town there's a different campaign.

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

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stages public rallies to demand justice from Japan and call

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for peace in the region.

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Rising tensions with China over the South China Sea have brought

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the Philippines closer to Japan.

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

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now which could see Japanese troops back on Philippine soil.

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

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in our country.

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We don't want wars in our town.

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

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The call to arms is well worn.

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They've been campaigning for nearly 25 years.

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In December, 2015, the Japanese government did apologise

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to South Korean survivors.

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

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

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enough out of fear it will damage the alliance.

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

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been a comfort.

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When her mum first started in the 1990s,

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it was a huge surprise.

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

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Estellita said nothing for 50 years.

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

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She has invited the other survivors of the Red House

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to join in celebrations.

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

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# Happy birthday to you

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# Happy birthday to you...#.

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CHEERING

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These two women have spent their whole lives together,

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These two women have spent their whole lives together,

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but they almost lost each other.

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

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nearly three days to find one another.

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MUSIC PLAYS

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History books in the Philippines make little mention of the suffering

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History books in the Philippines make little mention of the suffering

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of their women during the Second World War.

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Fidencia has made it her mission to educate young people

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about what really happened.

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

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night after suffering days of repeated rape and abuse.

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

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She wants it to be a lesson.

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

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of rape and sexual abuse come forward.

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

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publicly for the first time.

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

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

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It happened to me seven years ago.

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

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SINGING

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

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The baking heat takes its toll.

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In the past, two women died after a rally.

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But she is resolute.

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But she is resolute.

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