Teen Victims of Digital Sex Crimes Increased Tenfold Over Three Years

Total Digital Sex Crime Victims Increased 3.7 Times in 3 Years
Teen Victims Surpass Last Year's Scale as of September This Year
Deleted Digital Sex Crime Posts Also Account for 20% by Teens

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The number of teenagers who have fallen victim to digital sex crimes has increased more than tenfold over the past three years.

According to data received on the 20th from the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family by Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Gyeonggi Anyang Manan), the number of teenage victims has surged from 111 (8.4%) in April 2018, when the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center was established, to 1,204 (24.2%) in 2020. The number of victims from January to September this year is 1,268, exceeding last year's figure.

The total number of digital sex crime victims has increased 3.7 times in three years. By year, the numbers are ▲2018: 1,315 ▲2019: 2,087 ▲2020: 4,973. As of January to September this year, the number is 5,695, already surpassing last year's victim count.

Status of Digital Sex Crime Victims from 2018 to September 2021 (Data = Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center, Office of Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu)

One in five posts deleted following reports from teenage victims. From 2018 to September 2021, the Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center has deleted a total of 400,004 pieces of victim-recorded content such as videos and photos reported by victims. Among these, 78,381 pieces were from teenage victims, accounting for 19.6% of the total.

From 2018 to September this year, the status of digital sex crime victims by type is ▲illegal filming 5,766 cases (26.2%) ▲distribution 5,381 cases (23.5%) ▲distribution anxiety 3,838 cases (17.5%) ▲distribution threats 3,059 cases (13.9%) ▲cyberbullying 1,340 cases (6.1%) ▲photo synthesis 779 cases (3.5%) ▲others 1,829 cases (8.3%). Since many digital sex crime victims fall under two or more overlapping categories, the total number of cases by type exceeds the number of victims.

Assemblyman Kang Deuk-gu said, "Digital sex crimes, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated and advanced, have deeply penetrated even teenagers," adding, "Teenagers, who are emotionally more vulnerable than adults, suffer greater shock and trauma from these crimes, sometimes leading to dropping out of school."

He continued, "Regarding the rapidly spreading digital sex crimes, related ministries such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Ministry of the Interior and Safety must work together to actively establish measures to eradicate digital sex crimes and protect victims."

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