NAPABA ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUFFERING OF WWII COMFORT WOMEN AND OTHER HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS

May 27, 2014

WASHINGTON — The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) acknowledges the suffering of WWII Comfort Women and other victims of human trafficking and opposes human trafficking in all of its forms.

In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 121, which recognized that the Government of Japan, in the 1930’s through the end of World War II, forced women to provide sex to soldiers in its Imperial Armed Forces. The U.S. Department of State in its 2003 Japan Report referenced thousands of these victims of sexual slavery, commonly referred to as “Comfort Women,” who were kidnapped or coerced from countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, and the Philippines.

Memorials in honor of Comfort Women have been erected in the U.S. and throughout the world. One such Comfort Women memorial was erected in July 2013 in Glendale, California, and a lawsuit, Gingery et al. v. City of Glendale, was filed earlier this year to force its removal, which caused controversy and spurred dialogue, particularly about differing Japanese and Korean viewpoints of the wartime and post-war treatment of Comfort Women.

“NAPABA members and affiliates across the country—including members of Korean American and Japanese American bar associations—have long worked together in multiethnic coalitions to support civil rights and justice for all of our communities,” said Bill Simonitsch, president of NAPABA. “I am heartened to see that the Asian Pacific American legal community refused to allow historical disagreements and the controversy over the Glendale memorial to divide us.”

NAPABA strongly condemns human trafficking, past and present, and supports fact-based measures to educate the public about Comfort Women and other victims of human trafficking.

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The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) is the national association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students. NAPABA represents the interests of over 40,000 attorneys and 68 state and local Asian Pacific American bar associations. Its members include solo practitioners, large firm lawyers, corporate counsel, legal service and non-profit attorneys, and lawyers serving at all levels of government. NAPABA continues to be a leader in addressing civil rights issues confronting Asian Pacific American communities. Through its national network of committees and affiliates, NAPABA provides a strong voice for increased diversity of the federal and state judiciaries, advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace, works to eliminate hate crimes and anti-immigrant sentiment, and promotes the professional development of people of color in the legal profession.

From our friends at KALAGNY: Pro Bono Clinics

KALAGNY’s Pro Bono Clinics

Volunteer Today, Help Us Help Our Community

KALAGNY is pleased to announce the start of our monthly pro bono clinic in New York City. This is in addition to our ongoing monthly pro bono clinic in Flushing. Please spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors in need of legal counsel.

Clinic details are as follows:

New York City – 2013

Wednesday, October 9, 20137 -9 p.m.
@ Korean American Association of Greater New York (“KAAGNY”)
149 West 24th Street, 6th Floor, NYC (between 6th and 7th Avenues) (map)

Wednesday, November 6, 20137-9 p.m.
@ KAAGNY

Wednesday, December 4, 20137-9 p.m.
@ KAAGNY

Flushing – 2013

Tuesday, November 5, 20137-9 p.m.
@ Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York (“KCS”)
35-56 159th Street, Flushing (map)

Tuesday, December 3, 20137-9 p.m.
@ KCS

New York City & Flushing – 2014

First Tuesday of Every Month, 7-9 p.m.
@ KAAGNY (NYC)
@ KCS (Flushing)

We are recruiting attorneys with a minimum of five (5) years experience related to a specific area of law including but not limited to: Immigration, Real Estate, Landlord/Tenant, Labor & Employment, Estate Planning, Family Law, General Litigation, etc. We are also recruiting law students to assist administratively and linguistically. To participate, you must be a KALAGNY member in good standing. Bilingual Korean & English is preferred but not mandatory.

If you wish to help us help our community, please click here to register to 
volunteer
.

KALAGNY’s Pro Bono Committee Chair will contact you once you register. Please do not show up to volunteer at our clinic without an invitation. Thank you!

Kyun Yi, KALAGNY President

Post-Sandy Recovery Efforts – Volunteers Needed For Friday’s Pro Bono Clinic

From KALAGNY:

We know this has been a difficult time for many of you. We hope you and your family are safe and are recovering post Sandy.

KALAGNY invites volunteer attorneys to make a difference in the lives of those adversely affected by Sandy.  Along with other social service providers, we will hold a pro bono “clinic” this Friday, November 9, 2012, from 1-6 p.m. at the Korean American Association of Greater New York (149 West 24th Street, 6th Fl. in Manhattan) (map). No specialized legal experience is necessary. A training session and lunch will be served at noon at the same location prior to the clinic.

At the clinic, KALAGNY and its partner organizations will provide legal support to individuals and businesses that may be facing homelessness, unemployment, medical exigencies, business interruption, or a combination of the foregoing. We are seeking 1-2 bilingual (i.e., Korean) volunteers for an information table at the Clinic.  Please e-mail [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering by Wednesday November 7, 2012.