50 Years of Silence

DETAILS : 

• Author : Jan Ruff-O'Herne
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Toppan Company
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1875892001
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781875892006
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 250 g

ABOUT THE BOOK 

Fifty Years of Silence: The Extraordinary Memoir of a War Rape Survivor is a personal memoir written by Jan Ruff O'Herne, a Dutch woman who was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. The book recounts her harrowing experiences in internment camps and brothels, and her subsequent 50-year silence before breaking free to advocate for justice and recognition for fellow survivors. With poignant clarity, Ruff-O'Herne shares her story of trauma, resilience and faith. This memoir serves as a testament to personal strength and a call for acknowledgment of wartime atrocities. It's a powerful and emotional read, offering a unique perspective on World War II history. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Jan O’Herne was born in 1923 at Bandoeng, in central Java. After the Japanese invasion of the NEI, she, her mother, and her two sisters were interned, along with thousands of other Dutch women and children, in a disused and condemned army barracks at Ambarawa.

In February 1944 a truck arrived at the camp, and all the girls 17 years and above were made to line-up in the compound. The ten most attractive, including Jan O’Herne, were selected by Japanese officers and told to pack a bag quickly. Seven of the girls (including O’Herne) were taken to an old Dutch colonial house at Selarang, some 47 kilometres from their camp. This house, which became known to the Japanese as ”The House of the Seven Seas“, was used as a military brothel, and its inmates were to become ”comfort women“.

On their first morning at the house, photographs of the girls were taken, and displayed on the front verandah which served as a reception area. Visiting Japanese personnel would then select from these photographs. Over the following four months, the girls, all virgins, were repeatedly raped and beaten, day and night. Those who became pregnant were forced to have miscarriages.