North Korea: UN report reveals harrowing gender-based violence women suffer under Kim Jong-un's regime

TW: Mentions of sexual violence.

When it comes to the modern world, North Korea is considered an anomaly. A dictator, Kim Jong-un has been known to impose fiercely strict rules on the citizens of the country, with equally fierce punishments should they be broken. In a recent UN report,the organization published details about the harrowing conditions of forced labour that exist in the country.

The report, called Forced labour by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was based on information from North Korean sources, some of whom managed to leave the dictatorship and now live in South Korea. This includes 183 interviews conducted by the organisation between June 2015 to May 2023. As per the UN, the interviewees were victims and witnesses of forced labour.

There are different types of forced labour in North Korea, and their main use is for the 'production of goods, for public works, and for foreign currency earnings'. Their findings state that the work is given to men, women, and sometimes even children, and it involves 'dangerous' tasks like construction, farming, logging, and mining.

The working conditions of the labourers have been reported to be 'inhumane', and women are subjected to harrowing 'gender-based' violations.

Gender-specific violations

Over 100 women who had unsuccessfully attempted to flee the country were interviewed, and as per the report, they experienced the following in labour detention:

In detention, women experience gender-specific violations, which include sexual violence; gender-based physical or verbal violence; denial of access to facilities and materials necessary for women’s specific hygiene needs, including sanitary towels; violations of sexual and reproductive health rights, including forced abortions; and the denial of gender-specific health-care services.

An eyewitness report explains how dire the situation seems to be for women:

One of my acquaintances, who was a woman and older than me, was sexually abused by one of the supervisors. However, there was no place where she could have reported the sexual abuse. She had to keep quiet. She suffered. But there was nothing she could do about it. Good-looking women were particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Perpetrators are often said to be in positions of power

Violence against women appears to be rampant in North Korea. In 2018, Human Rights Watch reported on the issue, stating that sexual violence against women was commonplace and accepted. The perpetrators who committed these crimes were often men in positions of power and authority. The report reads:

Men who commit this type of crime are said to be part of the secret police, soldiers, or prison guards, among others.

As a result the women who were interviewed revealed that they had felt they had 'no choice but to comply with any demands.' The punishments they risk if they 'refuse or complain' include:

detention, beatings, forced labor, or increased scrutiny while conducting market activities.

This article has been adapted from Gentside DE.

Read more:

North Korea: Those who manage to escape risk facing secret torture facility in China

Kim Jong-un allegedly established a 'hit squad' to enforce unusual rule on North Korean citizens

Kim Jong-un: South Korean spy claims the North Korean leader hides a son because he's 'too pale and thin'

Sources used:

United Nations report:Forced labor by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Human Rights report: “You Cry at Night but Don’t Know Why”, Sexual Violence against Women in North Korea