[K-Women Talk] The State Must Declare Its Commitment to Ending Violence Against Women

The long summer has passed, leaving behind news of abuse against people with disabilities and the elderly, child abuse, and infanticide, now replaced once again by reports of sexual violence and violent murders against women. All forms of violence leave deep scars, but attacks on socially or physically vulnerable individuals are particularly serious issues that make us question the meaning of community. We are all born vulnerable and end our lives as vulnerable beings. How well a community prevents and resolves these issues becomes a matter for everyone and a personal responsibility. One reason why our society must take violence against women seriously is that half the population?women?are forced to rely on self-defense products or reduce their own activity spaces and remain wary of others. It goes without saying that dragging a woman into unspeakable misfortune causes not only her but also her daughters, family, and acquaintances to live with growing daily worries.

The fact that ‘violence against women’ makes it difficult for women to enjoy equal rights and violates their fundamental freedoms and rights was clearly reaffirmed by the international community in the 2008 United Nations Secretary-General’s report following the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Here, ‘violence against women’ refers not to general violence but to gender-based violence?violence rooted in gender inequality or structures that view women as easy targets for violence or sexual violence, attacking them or depriving them of freedom. The scope of gender-based violence is expanding beyond women to include men, sexual minorities, and all people. Over the past 30 years, our society has united the National Assembly, government, civil society, and both men and women to prevent various forms of gender-based violence such as sexual violence, digital sex crimes, prostitution, domestic violence, and stalking.

Given the ongoing reality of serious violence against women, strengthening penalties on a case-by-case basis no longer seems sufficient. What is urgently needed now is the reinforcement of prevention policies. Prevention policies consist of publicity and campaigns, preventive education, prevention projects, and state policy advocacy, but overall they are becoming increasingly vulnerable. Gender-based violence topics rarely appear in public broadcasting or government campaigns. Prevention education on gender-based violence continues to face difficulties. News that the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism recommended whether or not to use certain words is no longer news in policy and education fields. An implicit atmosphere of censorship and self-censorship is emerging, shaking even the status of preventive education. This contradicts the current government’s emphasis on freedom. In some prevention projects, using the term ‘women’ in the project name is also being questioned, but prevention projects must recognize gender-specific characteristics to be effective. Rather than avoiding mention of ‘women,’ it is appropriate to further subdivide and specialize by sufficiently reflecting the specificities of male victims as well. State advocacy is also problematic. Despite a series of serious gender-based violence incidents against women, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the responsible agencies, show no will to resolve these issues.

When a hate crime against Black people occurred, U.S. President Joe Biden immediately issued a message that white supremacy is unacceptable. For gender-based violence to be intolerable in our society, we cannot rely solely on the voices of civil society. If prevention policies become lax, this sends another message to those who intend to commit violence. The state must add its weight to prevention policies. The entire society must continue to challenge gender stereotypes, and responsible national leaders must consistently demonstrate their commitment to ending gender-based violence to the public.

Cha In-soon, Adjunct Professor, Paichai University

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