Last summer, South Koreans left messages of their sexual harassment and assaults on Post-it notes at an exit of Gangnam subway station.As the #MeToo movement spread across the Internet, with women coming forward sharing tales of sexual assault and harassment, South Korean women were quick to identify.
Overall, violent crime numbers are considered low in South Korea, but in recent years, government statistics have shown a steady uptick in reported cases of sexual violence. And when it comes to gender equality, South Korea ranks poorly — near the bottom of all countries, in fact.As people look for solutions, understanding how the government treats these issues is a clear way to start.
The public education system might be one obvious place to create greater understanding to prevent sexual assault and harassment. But critics say South Korea's schools are instead disseminating dangerous myths, including the notion of blaming victims.
In March 2015, Korea's Education Ministry released updated sex education curriculum guidelines for public schools.
According to the Korea Herald, which saw the full teaching manuals in 2015, they include women not paying for their meals on dates as a possible reason for date rape."From the perspective of a man who spends a lot of money on dates, it is natural that he would want a commensurate compensation from the woman. In such conditions, unwanted date rape can occur," the curriculum for high school students reads, according to a screenshot tweeted by a Korean journalist under the words, "The Ministry of Education's 'teacher education materials.' If you think the Ministry is crazy, please press RT."
Tips to respond to sexual harassment, also for the high school-level curriculum, include "step on his foot as if by mistake."( Read more... )
Source: NPR
This article is actually from two months ago, but since the mentioned guidelines are still being taught in schools and my recent posts about culture / crime in SK have garnered some interest, I figured I'd post this as well. It's as interesting as it is horrifying. The suggestion to "step on his foot, as if by mistake" instead of going to a teacher or reporting to the authorities is particularly horrific.
SK's sex crime statistics are relatively low, but research in 2013 confirmed that those statistics only reflect about 1/10 of rapes and sexual assaults. It's no wonder many victims feel reluctant to report when "you were asking for it" is literally in the school curriculum. The (back pedaling, lbr) statements by Education Ministry representative Min Hye-young don't make me very hopeful for prompt or swift change.
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queen chungha is coming back!!! hype!!!
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