World's oldest sex slave dies in Taiwan

Huang Wu Hsiu-mei, the world's oldest "comfort woman", has died in Taiwan, Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation (TWRF) said yesterday.

Huang Wu died aged 96 from respiratory failure on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 50 "comfort women" or sex slaves forced to work for Japanese soldiers during the Second World War have died in Taiwan in the past 20 years, with only eight remaining alive in the country today.

Huang Wu was forced by the Japanese government to work as a sex slave for Japanese soldiers in China's Guangdong province in 1940, where she provided sexual services for up to 20 Japanese soldiers every day for about a year.

After returning to Taiwan, Huang Wu had two unhappy marriages as she was unable to have a child as a result of the harm she suffered as a sex slave. She once said that the harm, which ruined her body, may be forgotten by the Japanese government but would always be remembered by her. Initially, Huang Wu declined to disclose the fact that she had once worked as a comfort woman to avoid embarrassing her relatives but after receiving support from others, she became a voice for other victims. She travelled to Japan, Australia and South Korea and won support from many people. The Women's Rescue Foundation said the international community has recognised the existence of comfort women during the Second World War and that the Japanese government had played a role in it. Despite repeated calls for a formal apology, successive Japanese governments have failed to do so and refused to pay compensation to the sex slaves. The Women's Rescue foundation said it will continue to fight for the rights of the Japanese sex slaves in Taiwan. The foundation will hold a memorial service for Huang Wu next month.