North Korea: Sexual abuse of women 'common'

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Carl Court

Human Rights Watch (HRW). Human Rights Watch (HRW).

HRW said such abuse is so common it has become part of ordinary life.

The report is based on interviews with North Koreans.

The group said it revealed a culture of open, unaddressed abuse, particularly of men in positions of power.

"They consider us [sex] toys. We are at the mercy of men, "Oh Jung-hee, a trader in her 40s told the report's authors.

"Sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and do not know why."

Gathering information from inside the secretive state is extremely difficult and reports like this are rare.

'My life was in his hands'

According to HRW some women said that sexual abuse had become normalized that they did not think it was "unusual" – with some saying it had become accepted as part of everyday life.

A lack of sexual education and an unchecked abuse of power by the perpetrators were some of the factors that led to this mentality, the report added.

Perpetrators include high-ranking party officials, prison facility guards, police and soldiers.

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HRW

Interviewed told the group that when an official "picked" a woman, she would have a little choice but to comply.

This happened to a woman, who was being questioned by a police officer in a pre-trial detention facility, after she was caught fleeing North Korea.

"He made me sit very close to him … [and] also touched me between the legacies … "said Park Young-hee.

"My life was in his hands, so I did everything he wanted." How could I do anything else?

HRW called for North Korea to "acknowledge the problem of sexual violence" and ensure that it is "treated as a crime".

A Report in 2014 had been made that "systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations" had been committed by the North Korean government.

It has been added that forced abortion, rape and sexual violence have been carried out in prisons or in detention.