Complaints Against Protective Facilities for Many Persons, Disability Discrimination and Sexual Harassment On the Rise
The number of complaints received, and counseling cases provided by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in 2007 rose 50% and 25% respectively, from 2006. There was a sharp rise in the number of complaints and counseling cases involving protective facilities for many persons and local governments including school authorities. The number of complaints against protective facilities for many persons and local governments including school authorities recorded a 2- and 1.5-fold increase respectively from the previous year. The number of counseling cases concerning protective facilities for many persons doubled from the preceding year.
■ Total: Complaints up 49.84% and counseling up 24.68% from the previous year
In 2007, the total number of complaints, counseling cases, guidance sessions, and petitions received or provided by the NHRCK was 40,441, up 20.94% (7,004) from 33,437 in 2005 and up 17.28% (5,959) from 34,482 in 2006. The number of complaints was up by 657 from 2005 and up by 2,087 from 2006. When compared to 2005 and 2006, counseling cases went up 4,251 and 2,650 respectively. The number of complaints and counseling cases rose 49.84% and 24.68% from 2006.
■ Ratio of complaints by type: human rights violations (80%), discriminatory acts (13.9%), and miscellaneous (6.1%)
The NHRCK received 28,854 complaints in total from its establishment in November 2001 through the end of 2007. Among them, 23,101 complaints (80%) were against human rights abuses, 4,000 (13.9%) against discrimination, and 1,753 (6.1%) against others. The number of complaints against human rights violations was 4,199 (75%) in 2005, 3,332 (79%) in 2006, and 5,068 (80.7%) in 2007. In 2007, the number of such complaints rose 52% (1,736) from 2006. The number of complaints against discrimination was 1,081 (19%) in 2005, 825 (20%) in 2006, and 1,158 (19%) in 2007. In 2007, the number of those complaints rose 40% (333) from the previous year.
△ Composition of violators: Detention facilities account for overwhelming bulk of complaints. Complaints against protective facilities for many persons and local governments (including school authorities) soar.
With regard to respondents in complaints against human rights abuses, detention facilities topped the list with 9,981 (43.2%) since the launch of the NHRCK, followed by the police (5,077; 22%), government agencies (3,233; 14%), protective facilities for many persons (1,226; 5.3%), prosecution offices (1,215; 5.3%), and local governments including primary, middle, and high school authorities (1,080; 4.7%). What is noteworthy is that there was a drastic rise n the number of complaints filed against protective facilities for many persons and local governments in 2007. Complaints against protective facilities for many persons more than doubled from 234 in 2005 and 254 in 2006 to 521 in 2007, while those against local governments recorded a 1.5-fold increase from 177 in 2006 to 447 in 2007.
The rise in complaints involving protective facilities for many persons is apparently due to the NHRCK’s consistent education targeting related personnel, installation of complaint boxes, fact-finding investigations, and on-site investigations, which helped raise the human rights awareness of facilities staff and inmates.
The dramatic increase in complaints against local governments including school authorities at various levels is mostly ascribable to the strengthened authority of local governments and improved human rights awareness at schools, with local autonomy marking its tenth anniversary several years ago.
△ Composition of discrimination causes: Social status and disability account for bulk and sexual harassment takes up a growing portion.
With respect to complaints against discrimination, discrimination based on social status accounted for the largest share (809; 20.2%) from the establishment of the NHRCK to the end of the last year, followed by discrimination on grounds of disability (584; 14.6%), age (351; 8.8%), and sexual harassment (332; 8.3%). There has recently been a notable increase in complaints against sexual harassment and discrimination involving medical history. Complaints submitted against sexual harassment, transferred from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2005, rose gradually from 62 in 2005 and 104 in 2006 to 163 in 2007.
■ Counseling: 80% on human rights violations, 13.9% on discrimination, and 49.4% on others
Human rights counseling has been increasing each year. A total of 38,531 counseling cases were handled by the NHRCK from its launch to the end of the last year. The number of counseling cases has been rising every year, from 7,738 in 2005 and 8,311 in 2006 to 10,693 in 2007. The details of counseling showed a distribution similar to those of complaints: 41.5% on human rights abuses, 10.1% on discriminatory acts, and 49.4% on others.
△ Counseling channel: 81.6% by telephone, 18.15% by direct meetings, and nine rounds of counseling tours
