Legal Actions
Tokyo Tribunal (2000)
officially known as the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), led by Lola Isabelita pushed the Malaya Lolas to open their case directly to the Japanese government in hopes to receive the overdue reparations and proper apology with the other affected Comfort Women in Asia.
Henry, N. (2015). The law of the people. In Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137476159_12
Photo courtesy from a Japanese publication article via the Malaya Lolas
Malaya Lolas VS PH 'Gov (2019)
with the aid of the Centerlaw, the Malaya Lolas submitted a 38-page communication to the UN; they sued the PH government for neglecting their case.
UN-CEDAW (2023)
Regarding the ongoing discrimination faced by the Malaya Lolas, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) released recommendations for the Philippines on March 8, 2023.
Press release. (2024, April 15). ECCHR. https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/cedaw-committee-recognizes-discrimination-against-survivors-of-wartime-sexual-slavery-by-the-philippine-state-and-recommends-reparations/
Supreme Court Petition (2004)
Lola Isabelita Vinuya and 70 other lolas passed a petition to the Supreme Court for them to be supported from their case in Japan but was later dismissed in 2010.
Center law Involvement (2013)
Centerlaw persued the Supreme Court to reconsider their verdict from the last 2010 decision in line with the 2011 landmark judgment of Korea's Constitutional Court.
Centerlaw and UN (2021)
Centerlaw passed a special report to the UN in hopes to further asses the trials and possible opportunities for the Malaya Lolas. Unfortunately, in the same year, Malaya Lolas' current president, Lola Lita, passed away.
**Malaya Lolas. (2022, December 10). To close off #16Days of Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls, read our infographic... [Image attached] [Facebook post]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1318534402237782&set=a.410197509738147
Demands
of the Malaya Lolas
01
Reparation and Recognition
Establish an effective, nationwide reparation scheme to provide all forms of redress to victims of war crimes, including sexual violence, with equal access for men who are war veterans and women who are survivors of wartime sexual slavery to recognition, social benefits and other support measures to which they are entitled
02
04
Memorialization
Create a memorial to preserve the site of Bahay na Pula (Red House) or establish another space to commemorate the suffering inflicted to the victims/survivors of wartime sexual slavery and to honour their struggle for justice.
Anti- Discrimination
Ensure that the authorities remove restrictive and discriminatory provisions from legislation and policies relating to redress for civilian victims of war, including survivors of wartime sexual violence and slavery;
03
Financial Assistance
Establish a State-sanctioned fund to provide compensation and other forms of reparation to women who are victims of war crimes, in particular the institutionalized system of wartime sexual slavery, to ensure the restoration of their dignity, value and personal liberty.
05
Curricular Involvement
To mainstream in the curricula of all academic institutions, including secondary university education, the history of Philippian women victims/survivors of wartime sexual slavery, as remembrance is critical to a sensitive understanding of the history of human rights violations endured by these women, to emphasize the importance of advancing human rights, and to avoid recurrence.
You may know about their plea in this document
