By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Sexual assaults in elementary, middle and high schools have been steadily increasing.
The number of assaults reached 67 in 2007, a 43 percent gain from a year earlier, according to government data submitted by Rep. Kim Choon-jin of the Democratic Party to the National Assembly, Monday.
High schools recorded 33 cases, but it was middle schools that showed the most alarming increase ― marking 30 cases, a 114 percent rise from 2006's 14. The majority of assaults were gang rapes at 35 cases.
Ages of victims went down, with cases involving students under 13 years old seeing an 80 percent hike over the past five years.
Kim said the current sex education in classrooms was almost ``useless.'' After an increase in adolescent sex crimes since 2005, from a gang rape in Milyang in South Gyeongsang Province to a case involving serial gang rapes in Daegu that went on for a year, the government decided to strengthen such classes. Students receive 6.8 hours of sex education a year and 86 percent of schools in the nation reportedly have implemented measures against sexual assaults.
However, the number of special counselors is low with each one responsible for 23 schools on average. Provincial educational offices have refused to increase their numbers blaming inadequate budgets.
``The shortage of counselors and the growing number of sex crimes at schools show that current actions aren't enough. Moreover, we have seen some headmasters or local governments cover up gang rapes or other wrongdoings for the sake of their reputation. They just try to transfer the offenders and play a passive role in investigations,'' the lawmaker said.
``The government should evaluate each school based on the number of such assaults,'' Kim said.