By Kang Hyun-kyung
Many female North Korean defectors are victims of domestic violence and abuse at the hands of their spouses, according to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
To help female defectors suffering from domestic violence and sexual assaults, the ministry plans to place defector-turned-counselors at eight counseling centers within this month.
Kang Jeong-min, director-general of the division of welfare support, said: “Victims wanted to get help from people who have deeper understanding of them. So they prefer “saeteomin” (North Korean defectors) counselors,” he said.
The ministry plans to train 12 more female saeteomin to serve as certified counselors to help their troubled colleagues.
Since 2000, the number of saeteomin has rapidly increased. So far, approximately 22,000 people here are saeteomin and about 70 percent of them are women.
Park So-hyun, a senior staffer of the Seoul-based non-profit group Korea Legal Aid Center for Family Relations, said that a growing number of female defectors are in need of help from experts due to increasing domestic violence.
“We’ve got phone calls asking for help from these women since last year. Some of them wanted to know what legal process they need to take to divorce,” she said.
Park cited a 30-something North Korean defector she counseled last year, as an example to buttress the seriousness of domestic violence and abuse that these women face.
The female saeteomin’s husband beat his wife severely, even when she was pregnant. He attempted to strangle her when she was seven months pregnant.
“She was desperate and asked how she could end her marriage and live without fear of domestic violence,” said Park.
Figures from a survey by the Seoul Metropolitan City Government show that the divorce rate among female defectors is very high. The 2009 survey found that 31.1 percent of female defectors got divorced within five years after their marriage.