A Brave Lecture by a Woman Who Survived 20 Years of Violence in Sex Work

A symposium on 'The Current Status and Alternative Solutions for Women Victims of Prostitution' was held in Changwon. (Photo by Gyeongnam Women's Human Rights Support Center)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Min Dosik] Changwon City held a symposium on the 9th under the theme "100 Years of Women's Human Rights Violations, The Current Status and Alternatives for Women Victimized by Prostitution," drawing attention as it seeks to establish protection measures for women victimized by prostitution.

The event began with a lecture titled "Speaking Out on Sexual Exploitation" by Bomnal, author of the courageous record of a woman who survived 20 years of exploitation and violence known as prostitution, "One Street Away is the Edge of a Cliff."

Bomnal testified about the violence and unreasonable business practices endured in the field of sexual exploitation called prostitution, as well as the pain of women living with trauma amid prejudice and stigma.

She said, "The way to reduce sexual exploitation crimes is to not purchase sex," and added, "I hope the Nordic model, which punishes sex buyers and brokers and supports women's self-reliance, will be introduced in Korea as well."

Following this, Song Kyungsook, director of the Jeonbuk Women's Human Rights Support Center, presented on improving community awareness regarding common perceptions of prostitution; Kim Hyangsuk, director of the Busan Women's Support Center Kkumari, reported on the actual damage suffered by women in prostitution districts; and Shin Bakjinyoung, policy team leader of the National Solidarity for Solving Prostitution Issues, discussed future tasks for protecting the human rights and supporting the self-reliance of women victimized by prostitution.

Jeong Hyeran, the second vice mayor, stated, "A communal sense of responsibility from all of us is necessary so that women victimized by prostitution can live together as healthy members of society," and pledged, "We will spare no active support to protect these women."

Meanwhile, Changwon City established a basic plan in June to close the Seoseong-dong prostitution district and is working to build public consensus for the eradication of prostitution.

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