Women’s organizations are urging the implementation of a system focused on monitoring and supervising perpetrators of relationship crimes, including stalking and dating violence, while calling for the complete abolition of the non-prosecution clause.
On October 19, Lee Joo-hee, a member of the Democratic Party, along with representatives from various women’s organizations, held a press conference at the National Assembly. They stated, "Relationship crimes are not private disputes but serious offenses that take lives, necessitating a firm response from the state," as they demanded legislative reforms.
They highlighted that "one in five women experiences violence from a partner or spouse, indicating that intimate partner violence is already widespread." They pointed out that the Domestic Violence Punishment Act, enacted in 1997, has remained confined to the framework of 'family peace and stability' for 30 years.
As a result, they emphasized the need for legislative amendments to the Intimate Partner Violence Punishment Act and the Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Act, focusing on: comprehensive regulation of intimate partner violence, a shift towards monitoring and supervising perpetrators, expanding protection orders, and excluding the non-prosecution clause.
They added, "Having laws in place clarifies what constitutes violence, provides grounds and obligations for police intervention, and secures necessary budgets and personnel. The cycle of mere apologies and announcements of measures must end. We can no longer allow deaths to go unaddressed."
Reports of relationship crimes have been on the rise in recent years.
According to data submitted to the National Assembly’s Administrative Safety Committee by Seo Myung-ok, a member of the People Power Party, stalking reports increased from 14,509 in 2021 to 44,687 last year, more than tripling. During the same period, reports of dating violence rose from 57,305 to 105,327, an increase of 83.8%.
Overall reports of relationship crimes, including domestic violence and child abuse, also surged from 316,542 in 2021 to 475,639 last year, a 50.3% increase. By August of this year, 358,768 cases had already been reported. Notably, about 78% of last year’s repeat reports of stalking and dating violence were for cases reported three or more times, highlighting the risk of repeat offenses.
In response to the recent incidents of relationship crimes escalating to serious offenses such as murder, police have begun to take action. They plan to conduct a comprehensive review of over 43,700 cases related to stalking and dating violence.
The review will include 13,560 ongoing investigations, 22,057 individuals classified as high-risk, 7,046 closed stalking reports, and 1,049 cases currently under safety measures, totaling 43,712 cases. The police aim to closely examine whether existing investigations and victim protection measures have been appropriately implemented.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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