AustLit

Jan Ruff-O'Herne was born in Semarang, Java. In 1942, Colonial Java was invaded by the Japanese and she and her family were subsequently interned in prison camps. Along with nine other young Dutch girls, she was enslaved in 'The House of the Seven Seas', a brothel owned and frequented by the Japanese Imperial Army and was forced to become what was termed a 'comfort woman'. In 1992, she travelled to Tokyo to join other women and became one of the first Western women to speak out at Public Hearings into war crimes, demanding a formal apology from the Japanese Government. The film based on her life was awarded Best Documentary at the 1994 AFI Awards. She has worked as a teacher and published an autobiography in 1994.