The Philippines has failed to provide the victims of sexual slavery perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II their reparation claims as well as support and recognition due to the harm they suffered, the UN women rights committee found.

In a decision issued by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva on March 8, the committee said by doing so, the Philippines violated the rights of the so-called Filipino "comfort women."

So it demanded that the Philippines provide the victims full reparation, including material compensation and an official apology for the continuing discrimination.

The decision came after members of the 24 members Malaya Lolas (Free Grandmothers), a non-profit organisation established to provide support to sexual slavery survivors, filed a complaint before the international body.

"These victims, commonly known as 'comfort women,' had repeatedly raised their demands in the Philippines, asking their Government to support their claims against Japan for reparations for their suffering from the sexual slavery system during World War II," the committee said.

"They asserted that the Philippines' failure to fight for their cause had essentially resulted in ongoing discrimination against them that continues to this day," it added.

For Marion Bethel, committee member, the decision is a "symbolic moment of victory" for the victims "who were previously silenced, ignored, written off and erased from history in the Philippines."

"This case demonstrates that minimising or ignoring sexual violence against women and girls in war and conflict situations is, indeed, another egregious form of violation of women’s rights. We hope that the Committee’s Decision serves to restore human dignity for all of the victims, both deceased and living," Bethel said in a statement.

"The Committee's Views pave the way for restoring their dignity, integrity, reputation and honour," she also said.

Ahead of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s official visit to Japan, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Neal Imperial said there was no need for the President to talk about Filipino comfort women during his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

This was because "all war-related claims are deemed to have been settled by our 1956 reparations agreement with Japan," according to Imperial.

According to the committee, it noted that the Philippine government waived its right to compensation by signing the Treaty of Peace with Japan, underlining that it is a case of continuous discrimination.

"The Committee observed that the Philippine Commission on Women had not addressed the institutionalised system of wartime sexual slavery, its consequences for victims and survivors or their protection needs. In contrast, Philippine war veterans, who are mostly men, are entitled to special and esteemed treatment from the Government, such as educational benefits, health-care benefits, old age, disability and death pensions," it said.

Manila Bulletin sought for comment from the Japanese Embassy in Manila regarding the latest decision. The latter has yet to respond.

But in February, the embassy said the concerns being raised by the victims have been addressed by Tokyo, including recognition of the Imperial Japanese Army's atrocities and reparation claims.

In 2019, Natalia Alonzo and 23 other complainants sought the committee's help to demand the government to fulfill its commitments under a UN convention against discrimination of women. It came after they reported to the UN that on November 23 1944, they were forcibly taken to the Bahay na Pula (Red House), the Japanese headquarters in San Ildefonso, Pampanga.

They reported to have been detained in the said location for  day to three weeks, where they were repeatedly subjected to rape, other forms of sexual violence, torture and inhumane detention conditions.

Since then, they have endured long-term physical, psychological, social and economic consequences, including physical injuries, post-traumatic stress, permanent damage to their reproductive capacity and harm to their social relationships in their community, marriage and work, according to their complaint.

"They asserted that they had consistently raised their claims at the domestic level, requesting that the Government of the Philippines espouse their claims and their right to reparations against the Government of Japan," the committee said.

"Their repeated efforts, however, were dismissed by the authorities, with their last action turned down by the Supreme Court in 2014. The Philippines’ Government has always maintained that it is not in a position to claim compensation from Japan after ratifying the Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1956," it added.