18% of Sexual Crime Victims Are Male, Tripling in Four Years... Jubeom Kim of Daegu City Council Says "No Place for Male Victims to Seek Counseling"

Calls for Action Through Written Inquiry

Jubeom Kim, a member of the Daegu City Council (People Power Party, Dalseo District 6), announced on June 19 that he had urged Daegu City to improve the counseling environment for male victims of sexual violence through a written municipal administration inquiry.

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According to data from the National Police Agency on sexual crime victims in 2023, there were 6,536 male victims and 28,204 female victims, meaning that 18% of all victims were male. This indicates that sexual crimes are no longer incidents that occur only to women. The proportion of male victims has also steadily increased, rising from 6.9% in 2019 to 18.81% in 2023, highlighting the growing need for support for male victims.

Daegu City Council member Jubeom Kim

According to counseling statistics from the Daegu Sunflower Center, out of a total of 18,302 counseling cases in Daegu, only 1,752 cases (9%) involved male victims. This is a significantly lower figure compared to the proportion of male victims, suggesting that it is actually difficult for male victims to receive counseling.

In response, Council member Kim pointed out, "The current sexual violence counseling system is operated with a focus on female victims, making it difficult for male victims to access counseling." He added, "Male victims often face great difficulty in revealing their victimization due to social prejudice and stigma. It is necessary to assign male counselors who can reflect the psychological characteristics and social circumstances of male victims." He then asked whether Daegu City had any plans to assign male counselors.

Additionally, he requested Daegu City's position on the establishment of a gender-based customized victim reporting system, the introduction of shelters for male victims of sexual violence, and the need to improve overall awareness and promotion related to participation in sexual violence counseling programs, which he noted as currently insufficient.

Jubeom Kim concluded his inquiry by emphasizing, "By actively promoting the assignment of professional counselors dedicated to male victims of sexual violence, we must create an environment in which all victims of sexual violence, regardless of gender, are protected without discrimination and can receive counseling and support."

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