World peace starts with ourselves | Mari Arimitsu | TEDxOhyunHighSchool
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0:11 - 0:15In the last course of my graduate program
-
0:15 - 0:18we created an online campaign video
on human trafficking. -
0:19 - 0:21My professor at the time said,
-
0:21 - 0:24"You're not going to change
the world through this project, -
0:24 - 0:29but you're going to add a spoon of sugar
into the salty ocean to sweeten it up." -
0:29 - 0:34You may think making peace starts
with presidents, prime ministers, -
0:34 - 0:37leaders of some countries
shaking hands together, -
0:37 - 0:41or the United Nations,
NGO workers tirelessly working -
0:41 - 0:45in the less developed field
for the poorest of the poor. -
0:45 - 0:49I was thinking the same
before I started my graduate program. -
0:50 - 0:54But today you will learn
that peace actually starts with you. -
0:55 - 0:59I came to South Korea in order
to conduct my field research -
0:59 - 1:01on the issue of "comfort women."
-
1:02 - 1:06"Comfort women" is a euphemism
coined by the Japanese Imperial Army -
1:06 - 1:09before and during World War II.
-
1:09 - 1:14There are women who were forced
into sexual slavery by the army -
1:14 - 1:17and a majority of them
are from here, South Korea. -
1:17 - 1:23But there are also survivors from China,
Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. -
1:24 - 1:27When I told my friends and family in Japan
-
1:27 - 1:31that I would research
the issue of comfort women, -
1:31 - 1:35they usually say, "You're going to deal
with such a difficult issue." -
1:37 - 1:40I asked my mother why and she answered,
-
1:40 - 1:45"I understand that the Japanese Army
did something terrible in the past, -
1:45 - 1:49but that's an embarrassing part
we all don't want to touch." -
1:50 - 1:53Many of you probably heard last year
-
1:53 - 1:57that the government of Japan
and South Korea reached an agreement -
1:57 - 1:59on the issue of comfort women.
-
2:00 - 2:02Under the agreement,
the government of Japan -
2:02 - 2:08will pay one billion yen to a foundation
that the South Korean government -
2:08 - 2:11will establish to offer
health and other services -
2:11 - 2:14to the elderly former comfort women.
-
2:14 - 2:20In addition, the government of Japan
asked for removal of the statue -
2:20 - 2:24in front of the Japanese Embassy,
which pays tribute to the comfort women, -
2:25 - 2:29saying that the agreement was made
to stop future generations -
2:29 - 2:31from having to keep apologizing.
-
2:32 - 2:36On the contrary, I believe
that the statue should not be removed -
2:36 - 2:40and the issue of comfort women
should continue to be discussed -
2:40 - 2:45and passed on to the future generations
in order to not repeat the history. -
2:47 - 2:52Sexual and gender-based violence
is not something that happened in the past -
2:52 - 2:55but it also proliferates
in modern everyday life. -
2:56 - 2:58Women are disproportionately suffering
-
2:59 - 3:02because violence is often gendered
-
3:02 - 3:05in attacks such as rape
and domestic violence. -
3:06 - 3:08According to
the World Health Organization, -
3:09 - 3:11one in three women worldwide
-
3:11 - 3:16suffer from physical
or sexual abuse in their lifetime. -
3:16 - 3:21Here in South Korea, the number
of sexual assaults is increasing. -
3:21 - 3:26However, an expert says that the number
is just the tip of the iceberg, -
3:26 - 3:29as many women do not come forward
-
3:29 - 3:34because they are afraid that they
are going to be insulted once again. -
3:35 - 3:37The situation is very similar in Japan.
-
3:38 - 3:41Many assault survivors
do not want to come forward -
3:41 - 3:44because they feel ashamed or insulted.
-
3:45 - 3:50Male-centered patriarchal societies
makes it difficult to talk -
3:50 - 3:52about the experience of sexual assaults.
-
3:53 - 3:58Because being sexually assaulted also
enforces a form of stigma in our society. -
4:00 - 4:04I truly admire all the Korean women
who have come forward -
4:04 - 4:07and started to talk about
their painful experiences -
4:07 - 4:09as comfort women.
-
4:09 - 4:11We can only imagine how hard it is
-
4:11 - 4:15but then to talk
about experiences in public, -
4:15 - 4:19being raped over and over
by Japanese soldiers -
4:19 - 4:23and never being taken care of
even when they became sick. -
4:23 - 4:27There are also many women
who are abandoned and murdered -
4:27 - 4:28at the end of the war.
-
4:30 - 4:31The surviving comfort women
-
4:31 - 4:35are still fighting for their rights
and restoration of their dignity. -
4:36 - 4:38And a few survivors are participating
-
4:38 - 4:42in the weekly demonstration
in front of the Japanese Embassy -
4:46 - 4:48calling for the Japanese government
-
4:48 - 4:51to take legal responsibility
for its cause. -
4:53 - 4:55As a final assignment of my course
-
4:55 - 4:59we wanted to create
an online campaign video -
4:59 - 5:02to make a powerful impact on the viewers.
-
5:02 - 5:06Together with my colleagues,
Arunima, Caroline, and Rebekka, -
5:06 - 5:10we wanted to raise
awareness of child trafficking. -
5:11 - 5:14This was our effort to sweeten
the ocean just a little bit. -
5:15 - 5:16[Video]
-
5:16 - 5:17(Beeping)
-
5:36 - 5:38(Sizzling)
-
5:51 - 5:53(Scraping)
-
6:06 - 6:09[According to the International
Labor Organization -
6:09 - 6:11an estimated 17.2 million children
-
6:11 - 6:13are in forced domestic
servitude worldwide.] -
6:13 - 6:16[These children are as young as five.]
-
6:18 - 6:21[It happens all over the world.]
-
6:21 - 6:26[You can be part of the solution!]
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6:32 - 6:34The child domestic servitude
-
6:37 - 6:40is a form of modern day slavery.
-
6:40 - 6:44Millions of children, all over the world,
are being trafficked into servitude -
6:44 - 6:47with a false promise
of education and a better life. -
6:48 - 6:52Many of these children
work up to 18 hours a day. -
6:53 - 6:55Often, they are not paid.
-
6:55 - 7:00The world will likely turn its back
on those exploited children -
7:00 - 7:02unless someone has the courage
-
7:02 - 7:04to question the practice
and its morality. -
7:05 - 7:10Even then, changes in cultures and laws
sufficient to stop child trafficking -
7:10 - 7:12will likely come slowly.
-
7:12 - 7:15Take the issue
of comfort women, for example, -
7:15 - 7:18many of them were as young as 12
-
7:18 - 7:20when they were forced
into sexual slavery. -
7:21 - 7:24They were not able to speak
about their experiences -
7:24 - 7:26under the strong patriarchal society.
-
7:27 - 7:32But with democratization
of South Korea and the feminist movement -
7:32 - 7:37they started to speak in public
for the first time in the 1990s. -
7:37 - 7:43That is when they opened the door to allow
the taboo issue of comfort women -
7:43 - 7:46to become an issue discussed
in South Korea, Japan, -
7:46 - 7:48and the rest of the world.
-
7:49 - 7:52My work started from curiosity.
-
7:52 - 7:54I had several questions:
-
7:55 - 7:57Why are elderly women still fighting
-
7:57 - 8:00for their rights and restoration
of their dignity? -
8:00 - 8:05How and why did the United States
play a part in reaching this agreement? -
8:05 - 8:08Who truly has power in this world?
-
8:09 - 8:13My hope is also to add a spoon
of sugar in this salty ocean. -
8:14 - 8:19I would like to seek an appropriate way
of honoring the lives of women -
8:20 - 8:24not only the surviving elders
but also the many young women -
8:24 - 8:26who were abandoned and murdered
-
8:26 - 8:29in the battle field outside
of their own country. -
8:29 - 8:33By doing so, I believe
we can have a better conversation -
8:33 - 8:37towards sexual and gender-based violence
prevailing in our countries. -
8:39 - 8:44So, let us become curious
about exploitation in today's world. -
8:44 - 8:48Let us question why the world
is the way it is right now. -
8:48 - 8:53Why are some countries rich and powerful
while others are not? -
8:53 - 8:57Why are certain populations
being discriminated against? -
8:57 - 9:01Why are certain people
doing certain jobs in your community? -
9:01 - 9:04Why are there no women in boardrooms?
-
9:05 - 9:07Why is your friend
being bullied in your classroom? -
9:08 - 9:11Then reach out your hand
to people who need your help. -
9:12 - 9:15Your help might be as tiny
as a spoon of sugar. -
9:15 - 9:20But if many of us do it together,
I think we can change the world. -
9:20 - 9:24Then you'll see that peace
actually starts with you. -
9:24 - 9:25Thank you so much.
-
9:26 - 9:28(Applause)
- Title:
- World peace starts with ourselves | Mari Arimitsu | TEDxOhyunHighSchool
- Description:
-
"We can make our world a better place by questioning on essential issues." says Mari Arimitsu, a graduate of UN University of Peace and an active Japanese Language Coordinator for the TED Translators project. Mari explores the issue of "comfort women," one of the hardest, remaining international relations issues between Japan and South Korea.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 09:35
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Ellen edited English subtitles for World peace starts with ourselves | Mari Arimitsu | TEDxOhyunHighSchool |
Claudia Sander
3:29:16 assulted -> assaulted
Ellen
Edited 20/12/2016
3:29 assulted -> assaulted
Ellen
3:29 assaulted -> insulted, after clarification from speaker