“It will always be on someone’s computer”: Digital sex crimes harass South Korean women

South Korea’s cutting-edge technology has driven a wave of digital sex crimes against young women and girls.

According to victims, investigators and advocacy groups, South Korea is a global hub for illegal filming and the sharing of explicit images and videos.

Digital technologies, including high-speed playback and encrypted chat rooms, offer new deployment vehicles highly embedded gender discrimination and disseminating material depicting sexual violence against women.

“South Korea has unfortunately faced the prevalence, variety and seriousness of digital sex crimes,” said Heather Barr, director of women’s rights at Human Rights Watch.

The country has the highest rate of adult phone in the world and is among the fastest internet speeds, with 99.5 percent of households having Internet access. It was also the first country launch 5G service.

A new HRW report based on interviews with victims and their relatives highlights that intimate images are usually captured and disseminated by strangers and unknown women.

In one case, Lee Ye-rin * found a watch given to him as a gift by a businessman who has been filming in his bedroom for a few weeks.

“What happened in my room happened so sometimes… In my room, I feel scared for no reason,” Lee said. He added that a year after the crime was discovered, the prescription is based on prescription drugs to combat depression and anxiety.

‘If this can’t stop, I want to stop my life’

Kang Yu-jin *, another victim, was forced to leave work and live at home when a former partner posted private photos, along with identifiable details such as home and office addresses.

“There were men in the church where my parents went who wanted to contact me. . . and there were men who sent me [messages] to have sex. There were also men who came to my house and work, ”he said.

The researchers noted that in addition to the dangers of stigma and harassment, suicide is also prevalent.

“I’m afraid of my future,” said Oh Soo-jin * victim. “It will always be on someone’s computer. . .[I thought]‘I want to stop this, but this problem will never end. . . So if this can’t stop, I want to stop my life. ‘

Although digital sex crimes are a global problem, a report released by the US HRW on Wednesday revealed South Korea’s light sentences and lack of protection in the case of victims of digital sex crimes.

“Officials in the criminal justice system — most of them men — often do not seem to understand or accept that they are very serious crimes. . . Survivors are forced to face these crimes for life, with little support from the legal system, ”Bar said.

Despite increased public awareness and legal reforms, the number of cases of sexual offenses related to illegal filming has continued to rise.

Last year, student investigators and police found a secret chat room in the Telegram messaging app that contained images of child sexual abuse. The material was viewed by 260,000 people, according to estimates by the Korean Center for Sexual Violence.

According to the Korean Institute for Women’s Human Rights, there were nearly 7,000 cases related to illegal filming and the distribution of images and videos last year, 70% more than in 2019, and increased prosecution efforts.

But few cases are punished. Prosecutors dropped 44 percent of digital sex crime cases in 2019, with nearly 80 percent of those convicted of capturing intimate images without permission receiving a suspended sentence, fine or a combination of both in 2020, HRW said.

Last year, a Korean court extradited a man convicted of running one of the world’s largest child pornography websites to a U.S. extradition request after he served just 18 months in prison for violating South Korean child protection laws.

They have criticized the government unless gender inequality is addressedanalysts say it encourages digital sex crimes.

A female Air Force sergeant took her own life last month when a male colleague suffered sexual harassment and allegedly tried to cover up the Air Force case. His death caused a public uproar, forcing Air Force Chief Lee Seong-yong to resign.

Despite calls for harder action following a high-profile chain #MeToo cases K-pop out and senior politicians, little progress has been made in stopping the abuse of women in patriarchal South Korean society.

The country ranked 102 out of 156 at the 2021 World Economic Forum in the Global Gender Gap report, which has the largest gender inequality in the economic participation and choice of any advanced economy.

According to HRW, South Korean women work four times more than unpaid men and earn 32.5 percent less.

“The main cause of digital sex crimes in South Korea is the support of harmful attitudes and behaviors about women and girls that the government urgently needs to address,” Bar said.

* Names have changed

If anything in this story affects you and you need help, you can contact Lifeline Korea at 1588-9191. In the United Kingdom, the Samaritans are at 116 123. The U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is located at 1-800-273-8255.