Four centers will be established in 2016 to help improve the livelihoods of past comfort women in Timor-Leste.
The centers are being established by the Enough for Us Association (ACBIT) in the Viqueque, Covalima, Dili and Bobonaro municipalities.
ACBIT Director Manuela Leong Pereira said the centers aimed to provide a meeting place for victims and encourage their business activities.
“They will use this place for doing their activities, meetings, developing ideas about their business activities. It may be for rent or to earn money,” said Pereira at the post office hall room in Dili.
She added that the centers would provide a space for women in rural areas to develop their activities.
ACBIT also provides training in business management, women’s rights and leadership to victims.
The Norwegian government provided $45,000 in funding through the Hivos organization to help set up the centers.
According to the data, ACBIT has identified 263 past comfort women in 3 municipalities since 2013.
Comfort women were forced to provide sex or act as a ‘local wife’ to Japanese soldiers during World War II and during the Indonesian occupation.
Meanwhile, Hivos Timor-Leste representative Cinta Dewi said they were proud to support the work of women’s organizations.
“We are ready to keep working with women’s organizations and support vulnerable victims in remote areas,” Dewi said.
Widow Beatriz Miranda from Viqueque said many past comfort women continued to suffer discrimination and social stigma.
She thanked the organizations involved in their support.
“We are in rural areas and feel isolated by our leaders because we are poor and old,” she said.
