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“You Cry at Night but Don't Know Why” HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH “You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why” Sexual Violence against Women in North Korea “You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why” Sexual Violence against Women in North Korea Copyright © 2018 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-36710 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org NOVEMBER 2018 ISBN: 978-1-6231-36710 “You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why” Sexual Violence against Women in North Korea Map .................................................................................................................................. i Korean Words Glossary .................................................................................................... ii Acronyms ....................................................................................................................... iv Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Sexual Abuse in Prisons and Detention Facilities .......................................................................................... 5 Sexual Abuse of Women Engaged in Trade .................................................................................................. 6 Lack of Remedies ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Discrimination Against Women ................................................................................................................... 8 Key Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 10 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 12 I. Background ................................................................................................................ 16 Extreme Poverty and Modest Market Reforms ............................................................................................. 20 II. Women, Society, and Law in North Korea .................................................................... 25 Women and Society .................................................................................................................................. 25 Women and Girls at Home, School, and Work ........................................................................................ 27 Lack of Sexuality Education and Awareness of Gender-Based Violence ................................................... 29 Social Stigma and Victim Blaming ......................................................................................................... 31 The Role of China and the Experience of Women Forcibly Returned to North Korea ................................... 32 Women and Relevant Domestic and International Law ................................................................................ 33 III. Sexual Violence by Men in Positions of Power ........................................................... 38 Rape and Sexual Violence by Government Officials ..................................................................................... 38 Rape and Sexual Violence in Prisons or Detention Facilities ........................................................................ 39 Rape and Sexual Violence against Women Engaged in Trade ....................................................................... 56 IV. Lack of Government Response to Sexual Violence .................................................... 68 Lack of Psycho-Social Support and Other Services ...................................................................................... 71 Lack of Medical Treatment ......................................................................................................................... 72 V. Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 74 To the DRPK Government: .......................................................................................................................... 74 To the People’s Republic of China: ............................................................................................................. 78 To the Republic of Korea: ........................................................................................................................... 79 To United States, Japan, the UK, the EU and Member States, Concerned Governments and International Donors Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Canada, France and Italy: .......................................................................... 81 To UN Agencies: ........................................................................................................................................ 82 To OHCHR and UN Human Rights Bodies: ................................................................................................... 83 To INGOS with Ground Access: ................................................................................................................... 84 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... 85 Map i HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NOVEMBER 2018 Korean Words Glossary Banjang team or class leader Boanseong police Bokjong gwanggye undefined subordinate relationship, literally “relationship of obedience” Bowibu secret police, current bowiseong Bowiseong secret police, former bowibu Daegisil jail Damdangkwan prison guard in charge of one prison section, unit Ganggan rape Gugumsil jail Inmin boanseong Ministry of People’s Security, police Inminban neighborhood watch systems Jangmadang government-allowed markets Jipkyulso temporary holding facility Juche sasang ideology of self-reliance Kukga anjeon bowiseong Ministry of State Security, secret police Kuryujang pre-trial detention facility Kyohwaso ordinary crimes prison camps, sometimes also called re- education camps, literally “reform through labor center” Kwanliso political prison camps, literally “control center” Rakhujaban punishment section of ordinary prison camps, literally “room for the people that fall behind,” also called “nakhujaban” “YOU CRY AT NIGHT BUT DON’T KNOW WHY” ii Rodong danryeondae short term labor training facilities, literally “labor training center” Sojang team or group chief Songbun a socio-political classification system, literally “ingredient, element” Songun military first policy Suryong Supreme Leader Tarak fall, corruption, decadence, degradation iii HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NOVEMBER 2018 Acronyms CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women UN COI United Nations Commission of Inquiry on human rights in North Korea CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child CRPD Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea FAO Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations ICC International Criminal Court ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ILO International Labour Organization KCNA Korean Central News Agency KINU Korea Institute for National Unification MPS Ministry of People’s Security, police MSS Ministry of State Security, secret police NKHR Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights PEP Postexposure Prophylaxis UN United Nations UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNHCR United Nations Refugee Agency UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNRC United Nations Resident Coordinator “YOU CRY AT NIGHT BUT DON’T KNOW WHY” iv WFP World Food Program WHO World Health Organization WPK Workers’ Party of Korea v HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | NOVEMBER 2018 Summary Oh Jung Hee is a former trader in her forties from Ryanggang province. She sold clothes to market stalls in Hyesan city and was involved in the distribution of textiles in her province. She said that up until she left the country in 2014, guards would regularly pass by the market to demand bribes, sometimes in the form of coerced sexual acts or intercourse. She told Human Rights Watch: I was a victim many times … On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they’d pick. What can we do? They consider us [sex] toys … We [women] are at the mercy of men. Now, women cannot survive without having men with power near them. She said she had no power to resist or report these abuses. She said it never occurred to her that anything could be done to stop these assaults except trying to avoid such situations by moving away or being quiet
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