"Couples Can Do That" Stigma... Boyfriend Who Hit Her Not Arrested [Red Light Women's Safety]

①Law Fails to Punish Crimes Against Women
Rapid Increase in 'Date Violence'... Only 2% of Cases Lead to Detention Investigations
Most Date Violence Cases Are Semi-Private Offenses
Detention Investigations Needed to Prevent Secondary Crime Victims

Editor's NoteAccording to a survey by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 4 out of 10 women in South Korea have experienced sexual crimes at least once. In particular, dating violence and stalking crimes have been on the rise every year. These crimes mostly occur within romantic relationships, leading to many cases being overlooked or not properly addressed. Even when crimes are reported, they often result in 'light punishments' without detention investigations, which can lead to secondary crimes. This series will examine the realities of crimes against women and explore legal and institutional loopholes and improvement measures over two installments.

On the 7th, a woman in her 20s who had been complaining of habitual violence from her boyfriend died after falling from an officetel in Busan. The initial reporter was B, a man in his 20s and A's boyfriend, who stated that A fell from the officetel after an argument with him. The bereaved family and acquaintances claimed that B rang the doorbell continuously for about 13 hours and repeatedly assaulted A in front of her home. The police have booked B on charges of assault and intimidation.

Despite a sharp increase in dating violence incidents over the past four years, the rate of detaining perpetrators for investigation remains only about 2% of the total. Most dating violence cases fall under 'crimes requiring the victim's consent for prosecution' (crimes that can only be prosecuted if the victim expresses the intention to press charges), mainly assault crimes. Experts analyze that many victims show leniency considering the prior relationship or do not report the crimes. However, since these often lead to retaliatory crimes such as stalking, there are calls for institutional improvements.

[Image source=Getty Images]

According to statistics from the National Police Agency on the 22nd, the number of suspects arrested for dating violence last year was 13,939, a 55.7% increase compared to 2020 (8,951). The number of reported dating violence crimes also increased by about 27,000 over four years, reaching 77,150 last year.

However, the proportion of suspects detained for investigation has remained in the 1-2% range for several years. The detention rate was about 2.3% in 2020, dropped to 1.7% in 2022, and slightly rose to 2.2% last year. Last year, only 310 out of 13,939 arrested dating violence perpetrators were detained for investigation.

The fact that a significant portion of dating violence cases involve assault and intimidation charges, which require the victim's consent for prosecution, is cited as a reason for the low detention rate. Looking at the types of crimes suffered by victims of dating violence last year, assault and injury accounted for 9,448 cases, making up 68% of the total.

Victims of dating violence, whose psychological state is weakened, often agree to settlements or withdraw reports under pressure from perpetrators. Kim Doyeon, director of the Dating Violence Research Institute, said, "Dating violence perpetrators often threaten and coax victims from the day the police report is made," adding, "Victims frequently fail to take proper legal action due to psychological helplessness and trauma, wanting to escape the situation."

Even when victims express the intention to press charges, perpetrators are not detained, sometimes leading to major crimes later. In 2018, a man in his 30s who was under police investigation for habitual assault on his cohabiting partner killed her a month later. The police had applied for an arrest warrant in March of the same year for assaulting his partner and attempting to set fire to the house, but the court dismissed it citing low flight risk. It was revealed that the man committed the crime after being released due to the dismissal of the warrant.

Experts emphasize the need for strict initial responses as dating violence often leads to secondary crimes such as threats and murder. Lee Woonghyuk, professor of Police Science at Konkuk University, pointed out, "In Korea, dating violence is seen as a problem between lovers and not taken seriously, resulting in low detention rates," adding, "If detention does not occur, the likelihood of receiving a prison sentence also decreases."

Professor Lee continued, "Major countries like the United States have systems that mandate arrest and detention for dating and domestic violence," and added, "Korea should also exclude dating violence from crimes requiring the victim's consent for prosecution and improve the system so that arrests and detentions are mandatory rather than left to legal and prosecutorial discretion."

Kim Youngsik, professor of Police Administration at Seowon University, also stressed, "In modern society, relational crimes like dating violence have a high risk of leading to more serious crimes or recurrence," and emphasized, "If dating violence occurs to the extent that it causes difficulties in the victim's daily life, the police should approach the case with a punitive intent and a willingness to detain for investigation."

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