JUSTICE FOR LAI DAI HAN LAUNCH UK PARLIAMENTARY EVENT CAMPAIGN VIDEO

-Video interviews include: JLDH international ambassador Jack Straw; Wayne David MP; and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Nadia Murad-

London, United Kingdom, February 12, 2019 – Justice for Lai Dai Han (JLDH) hosted an event in the British Houses of Parliament on ending sexual violence in conflict. At the event, which took place last month, senior speakers from the British government and around the world described the need to recognise the victims of sexual violence, including in Vietnam, and what needs to be done to end sexual violence in conflict for good.

JLDH has just launched a new campaign video which includes a number of interviews with speakers and guests, including: Jack Straw, international ambassador for Justice for Lai Dai Han; Lord William Hague, former UK foreign secretary and co-founder of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative; Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2018; and Wayne David MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Vietnam.

At the event, it was also confirmed that Ngoc Thuy Bui, secretary of the Vietnamese Association UK (VAUK), would be joining the JLDH advisory board.

Jack Straw said:

“I urge friends in the Republic of Korea to acknowledge the testimony of the Lai Dai Han and investigate what happened. The victims of sexual violence and the Lai Dai Han deserve recognition and an opportunity to heal. We must demonstrate to the world the importance of following through on commitments to end sexual violence in conflict.”

Wayne David MP said:

“It would be nice to see a formal apology being issued by the South Korean government. It’s our determination to make sure that it’s not just a British issue but an international issue and pressure is put on the South Koreans to make acknowledgement.”

Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2018, said:

“As someone who has come to understand the importance of advancing and defending human rights, I am proud to be a voice for all victims of sexual violence in conflict. The Lai Dai Han have been living in the shadows of Vietnamese society for far too long. The victims and their families deserve to be recognised as we work together to achieve justice.”

The ‘Lai Dai Han’ are the thousands of dual heritage Korean-Vietnamese children born during the Vietnam War. JLDH represents them and their mothers, of which 800 are still alive today, who allege that they were sexually assaulted or raped by South Korean soldiers during the War.

Between 1964 and 1973, some 320,000 South Korean soldiers were deployed to Vietnam to fight alongside the United States. South Korea has never recognised the allegations made against its troops and never investigated. Some of the women that allege they were raped were as young as 12 or 13 at the time.

To view the video, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPD19ja0liQ