'Father with a heart of stone who sexually assaulted his biological daughter for 12 years since she was 5... No solution for intrafamilial sex crimes?'

"Accused of Daughter's Sexual Abuse for 12 Years Since Age 5" Court Official's Arrest Warrant Denied
'Incest Sexual Crimes' Increasing Annually
Many Victims Suffer Sexual Abuse from Childhood

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As a court official has been accused of sexually assaulting his biological daughter for 12 years, sparking public outrage, awareness about intrafamilial sexual crimes is growing. Intrafamilial sexual crimes refer to sexual offenses committed by relatives within the fourth degree of kinship or relatives living together.

Every year, cases of intrafamilial sexual crimes continue to occur. However, it has been revealed that many victims, especially minors, are often unable to fully recognize the harm they have suffered due to exposure to sexual violence. In particular, there are calls for stricter measures as sexual crimes committed by relatives cause significant trauma to victims and have a high risk of reoffending.

On the 3rd, JTBC reported that last September, a court official identified as Mr. A is under investigation by the prosecution after being accused by his wife, Mrs. B.

According to the report, Mr. A is charged with violating the Special Act on Sexual Violence and forcibly molesting a person under the age of 13. The victim is Mr. A’s 17-year-old biological daughter. It is reported that Mr. A’s sexual abuse continued for about 12 years, from when his daughter was 5 years old until she turned 17. This fact came to light when the daughter, about to enter high school, confided in her mother, Mrs. B, about the abuse.

In an interview with the media, Mrs. B said, "My child developed alopecia areata at the end of first grade in elementary school. I thought it was just stress from not doing well at school," adding, "I feel that saying sorry is not enough, and a proper investigation is needed so that my daughter does not suffer further harm and can have time to recover."

However, Mr. A has denied the allegations, stating that they are "not 100% true." Nevertheless, the court has already suspended Mr. A’s position.

The prosecution requested an arrest warrant for Mr. A, but the court rejected it, stating, "He is a first-time offender, there is no risk of evidence destruction or flight, and careful consideration of the victim’s testimony is necessary."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Sexual violence crimes within families are increasing every year. According to data titled 'Status of Sexual Violence Crimes by Kinship' submitted by the Ministry of Justice to Kim Do-eup, a member of the Future United Party, last year, a total of 1,613 cases of sexual violence crimes by relatives were reported from 2016 to 2018. In particular, the number of crimes steadily increased from 500 cases in 2016 to 535 in 2017 and 578 in 2018.

The problem with intrafamilial sexual violence is that victims suffer continuously from a young age. Especially when victims are minors who have been sexually abused by relatives, many do not realize that they have been sexually assaulted. Some victims only report the abuse to relevant agencies after reaching adulthood.

More than half of intrafamilial sexual violence victims seek counseling at related centers more than 10 years after the abuse occurred. According to the '2019 Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center Statistics and Counseling Trend Analysis' released by the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center in March, out of 87 cases of intrafamilial sexual violence counseling, 48 cases (55.2%) took more than 10 years from the time of abuse to seek counseling. Cases taking between 5 and 10 years accounted for 12 cases (13.8%). The age group with the highest incidence of abuse was children aged 7 to 13 (33.3%).

Recently, a case where a father sexually assaulted his daughter continuously for 15 years caused a stir.

In May, Mr. C, a man in his 50s who was charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting his biological daughter for 15 years starting when she was 12 years old and forcing her to undergo pregnancy and abortion four times, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the first trial.

It was reported that Mr. C assaulted his wife at home in November to December 2004, and then sexually assaulted his terrified 12-year-old daughter who witnessed the scene. Mr. C then sexually assaulted his daughter at least once a week for about 15 years and forced her to undergo pregnancy and abortion surgeries four times before she turned 18. Additionally, Mr. C reportedly called his daughter "manura" (wife) and filmed himself committing the assaults.

One reason victims hesitate to report sexual abuse over a long period is that the perpetrator’s parental rights are not revoked. According to data submitted by the Seoul Family Court, out of 107 cases of parental rights termination requests filed between 2015 and 2017, only 4 were due to intrafamilial sexual violence.

In other words, if the perpetrator’s parental rights are not revoked or restricted, even after a guilty verdict, the perpetrator can continue to exercise parental rights over the child’s status and property, which can lead to victims being re-exposed to crimes.

Experts emphasize the need to separate victims from their families and manage them in protective facilities.

Psychological counseling expert Lee Hoseon said on YTN Radio’s 'Noh Young-hee’s Start Morning,' "When counseling related to intrafamilial sexual crimes, families often hush things up and keep it a family secret to a surprising degree," adding, "One of the most shocking cases I encountered was when a daughter told her mother, 'Mom, my older brother did this to me,' and the mother responded, 'You should resolve it among yourselves.' I don’t know how such a low level of family culture can exist."

He continued, "Sexual violence within families is a serious crime," and "(Victims) need a physical environment where they can be protected and treated in shelters. I think this is the beginning of welfare."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.