After analyzing reported incidents in the press, the Korea Women’s Hot Line has revealed that at least 85 women were murdered by their husband or boyfriend last year. In addition, 103 women were survivors of failed murder attempts. (Image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — After analyzing reported incidents in the press, the Korea Women’s Hot Line has revealed that at least 85 women were murdered by their husband or boyfriend last year. In addition, 103 women were survivors of failed murder attempts by their male significant other.
The deadly violence perpetrated against women in many cases resulted in severe harm to the victim’s family and social circle. In such cases last year, a confirmed total of 55 children, parents, friends or bystanders were either injured or killed.
The Korea Women’s Hot Line said, “Because these figures are based only on what’s been reported in the news, taking into account the cases that are not reported, it is very likely that the actual number of female murder victims of men is much higher.”
Murder victims were most prevalent in their 40s (24 percent), followed by 50s (20 percent), 20s (18 percent) and 30s (17 percent).
Disproving the commonly-held belief that dating violence occurs predominantly among couples in their 20s and 30s, the Korea Women’s Hot Line found that the number of 40-something female victims murdered by their boyfriend was equal to those who were in their 20s.
According to the perpetrators’ own testimonies, the most commonly stated motivation for the homicides was “a sudden decision made in anger”. (Image: Yonhap)
According to the perpetrators’ own testimonies, the most commonly stated motivation for the homicides was “a sudden decision made in anger”. Other frequently given answers were because the woman in question asked for a divorce or a break-up, or because she refused to resume a relationship.
The Korea Women’s Hot Line said that at least 824 women have been murdered by a male significant other in the last nine years, an average of 92 female victims per year. Over the same time span, at least 602 women had found themselves in life-threatening situations.
Saying that South Korean society labels incidents of violence against women as problems either particular to relationships or of family discord, the women’s support organization has argued that society has adopted and used criminal motives of victim blaming that are rooted in misogynist and prejudicial attitudes against women.
“To root out gender-based violence, the focus must be on the prejudice and hate for women that makes violence against women possible. The problem must be approached on the point that violence of this sort springs forth from imbalanced male-female power relationships,” the Korea Women’s Hot Line said.
S.B.W (sbw266@koreabizwire.com)
