Families Sue Korean Government Over Sexual Abuse

Families of sexual abuse victims are now suing the government because of the treatment sexual abuse victims have received by authorities along with the soft sentences to the perpetrators:

“I will file a suit for damage claims on behalf of eight children, who were victimized from the investigation, for 30 million won each against the government within this week,” said Lee Myung-sook, a lawyer for the families yesterday.

According to Lee, one five-year-old child was sexually harassed by a woman who lived in the same town, and the sex offender was charged with sex crimes in September 2003. But the first investigation was carried out after six months had passed. On the first day of the investigation, the child was interrogated over seven hours and even took part in a cross-examination with sex offenders.

Another victim was sexually abused by her teacher for two months when she was a fourth grader in elementary school.

Lee said, “The prosecutor who was in charge of that case argued that if the offender quit his job, he would be unlikely to make a living,” and that a court of justice only fined him five million won.

And I thought Vermont was soft on sexual abusers.