Getty Image Bank
“As soon as I saw that video (illegal footage), I thought, ‘I’m done now. Now my life is over. I thought, ‘How will I live now?’ Let alone getting married, I can’t even do what I’m doing now, I can’t live a social life, I can’t even go out… “This is how Mr. A, a ‘survivor’ of digital sex crime, expressed his feelings in an in-depth interview conducted by the Korea Trauma Research and Education Institute. Eight digital sex crime survivors who participated in in-depth interviews, including Mr. Illegal footage that was once distributed was distributed again even after it was deleted, and survivors said they experienced not only threats but also restrictions due to the distribution of personal information. On the 31st, the Korea Women’s Promotion Agency released a ‘research report on the experience of damage caused by the spread and anxiety of digital sex crimes’ containing this information. One of the characteristics of digital sex crimes that the report focused on is ‘permanence’ and ‘persistence.’ The report pointed out that once an illegal video has been distributed, it is difficult to completely delete it and that it may continue to be distributed, “which may have characteristics similar to experiencing repeated sexual crimes.” The report named this situation an ‘existential living hell’ and analyzed that “(the survivors) experienced ‘pain that seemed to last forever,’ feeling so desperate that they would sell their souls if only the material could be removed.” did. In in-depth interviews, survivors confessed that they felt fear of ‘unspecified numbers’ because they felt like someone would recognize them even on the street. Survivor B said that he was “afraid” to even receive a hospital examination because his name was called, “Mr. ○○, please come into the treatment room.” Mr. C was so shocked by a media outlet’s report on a digital sex crime that he “experienced dissociative amnesia.” Another survivor, Mr. He also expressed his concerns, saying, “I have doubts about whether he is approaching me.” Because of this, some people chose to ‘disconnect from society’ altogether. One survivor said, “I couldn’t trust people, and like I was socially phobic, I hated talking to people,” and “(for a while) I cut off all outside and economic activities and just stayed indoors.” The report pointed out that there is a need for psychological support intervention that reflects the unique nature of digital sex crimes, which do not end with the distribution of illegally filmed videos but also involve anxiety about additional distribution, as well as improvements in laws and systems, and improvements in investigative methods. In relation to this, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held the 10th Violence Against Women Prevention Committee on this day and provided support for efficient deletion of victim footage by linking the deletion support system of the digital sex crime victim support centers in Seoul, Busan, Incheon, and Gyeonggi, and digital sex crime evidence. They announced that they would seek to join the ‘Budapest Convention’ to strengthen international cooperation for conservation, etc.
The cover of the report titled ‘Study on the Experience of Victims of Dissemination and Anxiety of Digital Sexual Crimes’ released by the Korea Women’s Human Rights Agency on the 31st.
Reporter Chae Yoon-tae chai@hani.co.kr
2023-10-31 07:44:33
#existential #living #hell #feels #experiencing #sexual #crimes #repeatedly #digital #sex #crimes
