Are We Doing Enough for Women in North Korea?
Picture Source: https://www.pinterest.com/josephgimenez/north-korea/
Many women in North Korea are not afforded fundamental human rights. Despite the possible consequences of facing death or indefinite imprisonment under the rule of current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, many North Korean women choose to defect and attempt to flee from their home country.
Over the 1998-2007 period, there has been a 169 per-cent increase in the number of North Korean refugees.[1] Although recent defector studies highlight a significant decline in the number of North Korean defectors, there were proportionally more females than males in all periods (2008-2014).[2]
Such findings raise a concern for the lives of North Korean women and a question as to the reasons behind their risky choices. As the majority of North Korean defectors are female, it is conceivable that many North Korean women are facing worse climate conditions in terms of market freedom and economic hardship in their home country.[3] Has the world paid enough attention to safeguard fundamental human rights of these women under the universal rule of law?
The recent report of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea highlights violations of fundamental human rights, including gender-based discrimination.[4] The report acknowledges the continued traditional patriarchal regime running under the new leadership, which has had an adverse impact on particularly vulnerable groups. One such group is marginalised women, who often become the subject of men’s prey in the illegal markets of sex trafficking and prostitution.[5] These vulnerable groups are not protected by the government and there are no adequate support services available for them to access justice.
Participation of women in the political sphere remains low in North Korea: only 5 per cent of the top political cabinet and 10 percent in the central public administration consist of women.[6] Even economically advantaged women may be forced to pay bribes or fines to maintain their status.
The greatest concern for the North Korean women is arguably the inhumane treatment that they are exposed to after repatriation. The majority of female defectors fleeing to China become involved in the sex trade, in order to avoid being repatriated in North Korea. These women cannot seek external support services through the Chinese government, as the Chinese government works in collaboration with the North Korean governmental authorities to capture and repatriate North Korean refugees in China. As such, the women have no legal protection at all even after fleeing from their home country.
Despite the recent international attention drawn to China for facilitating North Korea’s commission of crimes against humanity, the problem is ongoing with even harsher policies against border-crossers being put in place in North Korea. The voices of the Australian people and the international community are required to fight for the safety of North Korean women. We can address these problems through the following legal mechanisms:
A formal procedure for assessing humanitarian needs and monitoring distribution of resources accordingly.
Enforcing cooperation of China and North Korea with international governmental bodies to monitor the human rights situation and assess its progress.
Establishing common grounds for negotiation and reconciliation process between North Korea, China, South Korea and international governmental bodies.
Are we doing enough for those vulnerable women? Listen to the experiences of a North Korean refugee by clicking the video below, and feel free to comment or share.
[1] Ministry of Unification, Data & Statistics on Number of North Korean Refugees Entered the South, Available at http://eng.unikorea.go.kr/content.do?cmsid=1822#.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Shinui Kim, 31st July 2013 'Why are the majority of North Korean defectors female?”North Korean News.Org, Available at <https://www.nknews.org/2013/07/why-are-the-majority-of-north-korean-defectors-women/>.
[4] United Nations, General Assembly in 7 February 2014, ‘II.Mandate and methodology- A.Non-cooperation by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea',page 4.
[5] Ibid,page 8.
[6] United Nations, General Assembly in 7 February 2014, ‘III. Principal findings of the commission- B.Discrimination', page 8.
