An Avatar of Peace: Commemorating Human Rights Activism

Authors

Vera Mackie, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

129153

Publication Details

Mackie, V. (2018). An Avatar of Peace: Commemorating Human Rights Activism. In J. Lydon (Ed.), Visualising Human Rights (pp. 113-140). Crawley, Australia: University of Western Australia Press. https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/visualising-human-rights

Link to publisher version (URL)

University of Western Australia Press

Abstract

It was a cold, crisp winter afternoon in Seoul.1 Opposite the Japanese Embassy there was a bronze statue of a girl in Korean ethnic dress, sitting on a chair, an empty chair beside her. The statue commemorates the demonstrations that have taken place on that site for over twenty-five years on the issue of militarised sexual abuse perpetrated by the Japanese Army and Navy in the Asia-Pacific War. The statue is variously known as the 'Peace Monument' or the 'Girl Statue'. I made my first visit to the Peace Monument on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, the day before the regular weekly demonstration, so that I could take photographs of the statue unimpeded by the crowds.

Grant Number

ARC/FT0992328