Jan Ruff O'Herne
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Jeanne Alida "Jan" Ruff-O'Herne (18 January 1923 – 19 August 2019) was a Dutch Australian of Irish ancestry and human rights activist known for campaigning internationally against
war rape Wartime sexual violence is rape or other forms of sexual violence committed by combatants during an armed conflict, war, or military occupation often as spoils of war, but sometimes, particularly in ethnic conflict, the phenomenon has b ...
. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Ruff-O'Herne was forced into
sexual slavery Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This includ ...
by the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. After remaining silent for fifty years, Ruff-O'Herne spoke out publicly from the 1990s until her death to demand a formal apology from the Japanese government and to highlight the plight of other "
comfort women Comfort women were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term ''comfort women'' is a translation of the Japanese , a euphemism ...
". On her death, the South Australian Attorney-General noted: "her story of survival is a tribute to her strength and courage, and she will be sorely missed not only here in South Australia, but around the world."


Biography

Ruff-O'Herne was born in 1923 in
Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...
in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
, then a colony of the
Dutch Empire The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...
. She grew up as a devout Catholic. During the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...
, Ruff-O'Herne and thousands of Dutch women were forced into hard physical labor at a prisoner-of-war camp at a disused army barracks in Ambarawa, Indonesia.50 Years of Silence: The story of Jan Ruff-O'Herne. New York, N.Y.: First Run/Icarus Films.1994 In February 1944, high-ranking Japanese officials arrived at the camp and ordered all single girls seventeen years and older to line up. Ten girls were chosen; Ruff-O'Herne, twenty-one years old at the time, was one of them. Ruff-O'Herne and six other young women were taken by Japanese officers to an old Dutch colonial house at
Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...
. The girls thought they would be forced into factory work or used for propaganda. They soon realized that the colonial house was to be converted to a military
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
. Ruff-O'Herne got the signature of each girl that night on a small white handkerchief and embroidered it in different colours which she kept for fifty years and referred to it in her writing as precious "secret evidence of the crimes done to us". On their first day, photographs of the women were taken and displayed at the reception area. The soldiers picked the girls they wanted from the photographs. The girls were all given Japanese names; all were names of flowers. Over the following three months, the women were repeatedly raped and beaten. Ruff-O'Herne fought against the soldiers every night and even cut her hair to make herself ugly to the Japanese soldiers. Cutting her hair short had the opposite effect, however, making her a curiosity. Shortly before the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the women were moved to a camp in Bogor,
West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
, where they were reunited with their families. The Japanese warned them that if they told anyone about what happened to them, they and their family members would be killed. While many of the young girls' parents guessed what had happened, most remained silent, including Ruff-O'Herne. After the war ended and Ruff-O'Herne was liberated, she met Tom Ruff, a member of the British military. The two were married in 1946. After living in Britain, the couple emigrated to Australia in 1960 where they raised their two daughters, Eileen and Carol. In letters she wrote to Tom prior to her marriage, Ruff-O'Herne had alluded to what had happened to her during the war and asked for his patience if they were to be married. For decades after the war, Ruff-O'Herne continued to have nightmares and feel fearful, especially during sexual relations with her husband. They had a good marriage but Ruff-O'Herne's experience as a comfort woman continually affected her life. In 2001 Ruff-O'Herne received a
Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...
for being a "campaigner and advocate for human rights and the protection of women in war." In 2002 she was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for being an "advocate for human rights and the protection of women in war, and for leadership in encouraging articulation of war-related atrocities." Ruff-O'Herne died in Adelaide on 20 August 2019, aged 96. The character Ellen Jansen in '' Comfort Women: A New Musical'' is based on Ruff-O'Herne.


Human rights activism

In the decades after the war, Ruff-O'Herne did not speak publicly about her experience until 1992, when three Korean comfort women demanded an apology and compensation from the Japanese government. Inspired by the actions of these women and wanting to offer her own support, Ruff-O'Herne decided to speak out as well. At the invitation of the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts, Ruff-O'Herne broke her silence and shared her story at the International Public Hearing on Japanese War Crimes in Tokyo in December 1992. In 1994 Ruff-O'Herne published a personal memoir titled '' Fifty Years of Silence'', which documents the struggles that she faced while secretly living the life of a
war rape Wartime sexual violence is rape or other forms of sexual violence committed by combatants during an armed conflict, war, or military occupation often as spoils of war, but sometimes, particularly in ethnic conflict, the phenomenon has b ...
survivor. In 1998 the Asian Women's Fund project for Dutch victims was formally established. Although 79 Dutch women accepted Japan's apology and atonement money, Ruff-O'Herne considered the fund an insult and refused the compensation offered, wanting Japan to come to terms with its history and offer a sincere apology. From 1992 Ruff-O'Herne continued to work for the "plight of the Comfort Women and for the protection of women in war." In September 2001 she was awarded the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...
by the
Government of the Netherlands The Netherlands is a Parliamentary system, parliamentary representative democracy. A constitutional monarchy, the country is organised as a Decentralization, decentralised unitary state.''Civil service systems in Western Europe'' edited by A. ...
in recognition of this work.


United States congressional hearing

On 15 February 2007 Ruff-O'Herne appeared before the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
as part of a congressional hearing on "Protecting the Human Rights of Comfort Women":


Bibliography


Books

*


Essays and chapters

* * Abridged version of Ruff-O'Herne (2005).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oherne, Jan Ruff 1923 births 2019 deaths Australian human rights activists Women human rights activists Comfort women Immigrants to Australia People from Bandung Recipients of the Order of Orange-Nassau Officers of the Order of Australia Dutch people of the Dutch East Indies Expatriates in the United Kingdom