Comfort women - Military brothels human trafficking and sexual slavery in context - Encyclopedia II

Military brothels are not unique to Japan, though the Japanese system during WWII was exceptionally large and well-organized.

Western militaries have also used such institutions for the same reasons the Japanese military did: to prevent STDs and maintain morale. Allegedly, during the American occupation of Japan, the U.S. army used military brothels set up by the Japanese government known as the Recreation and Amusement Association. Many Japanese women worked there under economic hardship and debt bondage.

Allegedly, there were also brothels for the use of U.S. soldiers inside certain camps during the Vietnam War.

North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had their own brothels.

In recent years, reporters witnessed a rapid increase in prostitution in Cambodia and Bosnia after U.N. peacekeeping forces moved into these areas.

In one well-publicized case, members of the United Nations peacekeeping forces were accused of helping procure sex slaves for a local brothel in Bosnia. In an economically deprived area, such an institution is bound to involve some forced prostitution, but the use of agents for procurement and management of brothels has allowed the military to believe itself shielded from charges of sexual slavery and human trafficking. Also with U.N. forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries.

NATO forces have been linked to prostitution and forced prostitution in Bosnia and Kosovo.

See the links below for articles on peacekeeping forces and forced prostitution.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Military brothels human trafficking and sexual slavery in context", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page