![]() ![]() It’s time it takes that obligation seriously and prioritizes comprehensive, meaningful action over words.Īs part of previous commitments, the South Korean government increased the severity of punishments for digital sex crimes. Under international law, the South Korean government is obligated to address discriminatory behavior, including online gender-based violence. Human Rights Watch research shows what happens when digital sex crimes and other forms of online abuse in South Korea are not properly addressed: traumatized victims, and ruined lives. This is despite the government’s expressed commitments following massive protests against government inaction in 2018 and the Telegram Nth room case – a case involving extreme abuses and many victims – last year.Īnnex: Letter to the Government of South Korea For example, more than 1,200 teenagers have reported being victims of digital sex crimes so far this year, according to the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea. Together, they help paint a picture of how pervasive digital sex crimes – digital images, almost always of women and girls, captured and shared without consent, and sometimes manipulated – continue to be in South Korea. Individually, these cases are horrifying. Over a few months, they filmed hundreds of guests without their consent, later blackmailing some guests and threatening to release footage. In October, authorities arrested a group of men who had bribed a motel worker to install spy cameras in all rooms. Last week, authorities arrested an elementary school principal in South Korea who had installed a spy camera inside a bathroom used by the school’s female staff members. "The sole purpose of these gadgets is to deceive others," she told AFP.South Korean women protest against non-consensual filming and sharing of intimate images on Augin Seoul, South Korea. "Victims in most spycam crimes realise they were filmed only after illicit footage had been shared online, whereas crimes involving mobile phones are much easier to catch in the first place," said Ms Lee Hyo-rin of the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Centre. While there is no official data to support Mr Shin's claim, a police official told AFP that "most" spycam footage is taken using smartphones.īut women's rights activists say the claim is "misleading", citing numerous cases involving customised cameras.įurthermore, they argue that since smartphones sold in the South are required to make a loud shutter noise when taking pictures - a measure put in place to combat spycam crimes - many offenders deploy high-tech devices or use special apps that mute the sound to secretly film victims. "More than 90 per cent of spycam porn crimes are due to mobile phones, not specialised items," he said, adding that any crackdown on the gadgets was akin to blaming knife makers for knife-related murders. With the Bill currently under consideration by a parliamentary committee, gadget retailers like Mr Shin fear it will turn away potential customers. "I turn customers away when it isn't clear why and what they want hidden cameras for," Mr Lee Seung-yon, who customises spycam gadgets in Seoul, told AFP.īut he admitted his approach was no guarantee against crimes. The number of spycam crimes reported to police surged from around 2,400 in 2012 to nearly 6,500 in 2017.Īccording to official statistics, about 98 per cent of convicted offenders are men - ranging from school teachers and college professors to church pastors and police officers - while more than 80 per cent of victims are women. ![]() In a burgeoning scandal that has shaken South Korea's entertainment industry, K-pop star Jung Joon-young was arrested this month on charges of filming and distributing illicit sex videos without the consent of his female partners. In one case, offenders had live streamed footage of around 800 couples having sex - filmed in hotel rooms using cameras installed inside hairdryer holders, wall sockets and digital TV boxes.Īs well as secretly filming women in schools, toilets and offices, "revenge porn" - private sex videos filmed and shared without permission by disgruntled former boyfriends, former husbands or malicious acquaintances - is believed to be equally widespread. ![]()
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