A recent survey uncovers that more than half of lawyers who faced sexual harassment during military service refrained from official reporting, even to superiors. Many incidents occurred post-discharge, with victims opting for silence despite available channels.
Key Survey Findings
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea released results from its ‘Military Sexual Grievance Policy Forum’ on April 29, analyzing 1,606 cases from the previous year. These included 480 among officers, 980 lawyers, and 146 sexual grievance counselors.
Among surveyed lawyers, 3.1% reported experiencing sexual violence. Analog and digital forms affected about 1.8%. Direct victims totaled 40% who filed official reports, while 60% treated incidents without counseling or formal action.
Reasons Behind the Silence
Fear of secondary victimization emerged as the primary barrier. Fully 33.3% viewed assaults as unreasonable yet likely to trigger further harm, and another 33.3% dismissed them as mere jokes unworthy of response.
Commission officials noted, “Secondary assaults represent the biggest hurdle to addressing military sexual grievances.” They added, “Lawyers’ involvement in such crimes creates undue societal burdens.”
Trends Among Public Defenders
Public defenders showed similar patterns, with 25% citing reasons like inevitable outcomes, fear of backlash, or challenges in navigating internal military dynamics. Notably, 12.5% of female public defenders expressed outright aversion to military sexual issues—1.8 times higher than males at 7.0%.
Analysts explained, “Male defenders hesitate due to fears of personal and social judgment on their private lives.” For females, concerns over retaliation and criticism loomed larger.
Calls for Stronger Support
Experts urge enhanced victim support, including 24-hour counseling and comprehensive awareness campaigns. Park Sun-hyang, chair of the National Assembly’s Human Rights Network, stated, “Strengthening genuine aid for military sexual violence victims remains essential, alongside elevating awareness of counseling operations.”
