Sexual Violence
hidden behind Original Propriety
Ordinary Korean citizens began talking about sexual violence as
a serious problem in the early 1980s, and it was at this time that sex
itself became a subject for widespread
discussion. Even now there is no system of extensive, gender-equal
sex education.
Few consider the need for it or notice its absence. Sexuality was always
something that would be learned about naturally; to tell children about
it in advance would cause more problems, and it was shameful to discuss
it with others.
Looking at Korean society, however, we see a big contradiction:
such "shameful sex" has been used as the tool of inhuman violence against
weak, by those with greater physical, psychological and social powers and
interests. Included in this violence against women are rapes, sexual abuse
and assaults, with cases of rape showing an especially rapid increase since
the end of the 1980s.
In 1983, Korea Women's Hot Line was established. Along with other
women's organizations it has stimulated public concern about this issue
and promoted the movement for eradiction of all forms of sexual violence.
A series of shocking incidents moved women's organizations to
abandon their former
easygoing attitude and join in strong solidarity efforts to awaken
society to the issue of
sexual violence and the need for solutions. These incidents included:
the 1986 sexual torture of university student Kwon In-Sook by policy investigators
; the 1987 rape of eight high school girls by a teacher; the case of a
woman who bit off the tongue of the man who tried to rape her ; 1992 incident
in which the stepfather of a young woman was killed by her boyfriend, putting
an end to the older man's repeated sexual assaults of his stepdaughter;
and in the same year, the cruel murder and mutilation of Yun Kum-I by a
U.S soldier.
Then in 1994 the nation had its first sexual harassment trial,
when a young woman
graduate assistant at Seoul National University brought
charges against her professor for firing her when
she resisted his advances. Further, the forcible mobilization
of Korean and other women to serve the Japanese
troops as sexual slaves during World War II, has now been recognized
by the world as a crime by the nation of Japan which must be
officially admitted and compensated.
This succession of incidents made the people aware of the reality
of sexual violence and started them thinking about the
need for correct sex education and the stablishment of a healthy
sexual culture.
Traditionally, Korean boys and girls were forbidden to sit together
from the age of six.
This division between the sexes was believed to be necessry
for a healthy society, but on the contrary, it
has prevented natural relationships among boys and girls, and
distorted values and culture, making male-female
relations a matter of curiosity. In a situation where
no adult is providing answers to their questions, children
and youth
have turned to easily available pornographic
videos and other materials, along with stories
and rumors passed along by friends, and thus acquire
distorted views about sexual matters.
Experiences of sexual abuse result
in further distortions of perception. Under these
circumstances, rather than male-female equality
and harmony, mutual respect and healthy sex, what
is learned is violent and male-dominated sex, and relationships that
are covert and dishonest. The result is that Korea has the third
highest rate of rape in the world, according
to the 1992 report of the National Police Headquarters.
The twisted view of sex, combined with the systematic domination
and oppression of the weak by the powerful, as in the use of
violence against the minjung (grassroots people), and the tradition
of sexual discrimination, have given men the prerogative
to treat relatively weaker women as sexual objects to be used
as they wish, even raped.
In 1994, the concerted efforts of
many women's organizations finallyled to enactment of
the "Act on Punishment of Crimes of Sexual
Assault and Protection of Victims."
Usually called the "Special Law on Sexual Violence," this
legislation expands the scope of criminality and the rights
of victims. While the existing laws recognized only rape
as a sexual crime and permitted only the
victim to file charges, the new law provides punishment for
other forms of sexual abuse and harassment as
well, and allows for charges to be brought by the victim's
family members.
Despite these legal amendments, many limitations
remain to be overcome. The
Criminal Law still defines rape as a "crime against chastity,"
that is, the male's violation of the female's precious purity. It does
not allow for prosecution of the rape of a male,
which is covered only by a milder "sexual abuse"
clause, thus failing to protect
homosexual or bisexual man. The
core issue is the violationof the individual's own
sexual decision-making right, so it is a mistake to base the law
on the concept of "women's chastity," as many women's organizations
and leaders are pointing out. In addition,
these persons are calling for further legal amendments
to allow any person-family or not-to
file charges against the perpetrator of a sexual
crime, to define forced sex by husband and "date rape" as
legal rape, and to allow closed trial sessions
to protect rape victims' right to privacy. All of these problems
are the result of the misunderstanding of sexual abuse
as as individual matter.
Recently Korean society has been shocked by
several incredible incidents of sexual violence. In one
case, an orphaned teenage girl living with her grandmother
was raped by a succession of village men and eventually
tried to kill herself. In another, a child was
raped by the director of her kindergarten. A junior
high student became pregnant as a result of rape but was afraid
to tell anyone; she went into labor in the
classroom and gave birth in the ambulance on the
way to the hospital. Such events clearly show the urgent need
for the education and protection of children and youth against
sexual violence.
30% of sexual violence victims in Korea are children, among
whom 30% were abused by close realtives(1995, Korea Sexual
Violence Relief Center ).
Activities by the KWHL, the Korea Counselling Center
on Sexual Violence, Chonju
Center for the Healing and Prevention of Sexual Violence
and other citizens'
organizations have attracted the interest of the media and government
agencies, which are turning a positive ear to our appeals for reform of
the related laws and structures.
The present efforts for legal and cultural
reforms may be called "fixing the barn door
after the cow is lost," but I believe we have the possibility
to realize big improvements if we join our efforts to develop
concrete policies in this area. KWHL is also pushing for the enactment
of a law to prevent domestic violence, as part of its work to realize a
society free of gender violence.
Following the passage of the Special Law
on Sexual Violence, counselling centers
dealing with this problem can be authorized by the
government to receive regular
operational support, and their related educatonal
programs are also eligible for
government authorization. While this is an improvement
over the past, it still falls short of the support needed by
these organizations to play an effective social role. In future the
government should provide much more assistance to counselling
centers for victims of sexual abuse and to organizations working
to eradicate sexual violence, enabling them to become more
active.
Our goal is an equalitarian, peaceful society in which
children can play safely, girls can develop their boundless
potential, and women can walk around free from fear as they use their
abilities for benefit of their families and society.
Yukyung Cho, "Sexual Violence
Counselling Center", Korea Women's Hot Line, Civil Society(1996)
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