Pearl Harbor Commemoration

Today marks another anniversary of the bombing at Pearl Harbor. I had no problem in finding a connection between the intentions of this blog and that event, an event that ushered the United States into a second World War that was already going on in Europe. Prostitution immediately came to mind.

While I was doing the research I needed to write this, there were several issues that surfaced. While prostitution is an “evil corruption” in the minds of most people, there is a subtle change during wartime – or maybe it’s not so subtle.

During war, it becomes a lucrative industry because, after all, we need to give the troops something to live for, we need a way to take care of a man’s needs, we need to let the men have their fun, and even provide it for them - don't we? Not only that, as long as a virile young man is away from his family, having prostitutes around keep these men from latching on to the more “respectable” women. This seems to go back to the "raping and pillaging" of olden times.

When women wanted to join the WAACs (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps), the rumors started to fly that they were all either lesbians or prostitutes. Any Army man caught dating a WAAC was immediately and automatically given medical treatment.

One article I found stated: “In WWII Hawaii, prostitutes were inspected by the vice squad, licensed, and given a strict set of rules (the breaking of which resulted in a severe beating by police).” If you have an interest in this topic, I highly recommend this article. It goes into the legality of brothels, quotas for servicing the servicemen, and rates to be charged.

Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies, and Patriotutes: The Regulation of Female Sexuality During World War II is a book I tried to find for this post, but my local library didn’t have it. If you can find it, the book would probably be worth a read for those of us who are interested. The title alone sounds like fun. Here are two quotes from the book that I did find online. I don't know the exact pages, but I can give credit to the author, Marilyn E. Hegarty.

“During World War II, prostitutes and many waitresses were required to carry health cards that stated they were free of venereal diseases.”

“Apparently it was not always necessary for a woman to be unescorted or to be displaying blatant sexual availability to be viewed with suspicion.”

I cannot leave the Pacific Rim without mentioning another controversial practice. I have seen estimates that range from 100,000 to 400,000 women who were taken as sex slaves and forced to service as many as fifty Japanese soldiers a day during the war. At least 80-90% were from Korea. These women were euphemistically called “comfort women.” The soldiers would go to “comfort houses” maintained by the Japanese government.

I have a Korean colleague who refuses to call them “comfort women.” She said, “Let’s call them what they were – sex slaves.” Song of the Exile is an excellent novel by Kiana Davenport that focuses on one Korean-Hawaiian woman and her painful life during that period of time.

Meanwhile, on the mainland of the United States, Tampa, Florida became an important staging ground during World War II, and became famous for its prostitution and venereal disease. In the spring of 1943, Florida passed laws prohibiting prostitution and pre-marital sex. I suppose the assumption was that if you were not married and having sex, you were a prostitute! If a woman was thought to be “immoral,” she was grabbed and given an invasive vaginal examination.

In the European Theater of World War II, the Nazi state forced prostitution in order that the German soldiers could be sexually satisfied. It is estimated that a minimum of 34,140 women from occupied states were forced to work as prostitutes during the Third Reich in the camp bordellos or confiscated hotels. These were known as German Soldier's Houses.

So where am I going with this fragmented history? One instructor states that “today we condemn female prostitutes without acknowledging that a large tourist and military presence supports sexual services.”

While I do not condone forced prostitution, I do believe that those who engage in sex as a career need some sort of health care regulations in order to reduce the rate of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. We need to create a supportive environment for these workers (women and men) that provides them with legal, economic and social services.

I blow you a kiss ~ ~ ~
Fanny