The regular English presentation on the North Korean human rights was held on the May 27th.
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While human rights abuses are ubiquitous among both men and women in North Korea, Hyo-young Joo did a commendable job of publicizing the various gender specific human rights violations that affect North Korean women. While touching upon such issues as forced repatriation by Chinese authorities, human trafficking of North Korean women, and forced abortions at the hand of North Korean boarder security, Joo painted a vivid picture of the potential dangers that await many of the North Korean women who attempt to cross the border into China. In her briefing, Joo also addressed the somewhat controversial issue of the treatment of female North Korean defectors in China. Moreover, with abortions outlawed, many women take it upon themselves and employ home abortion techniques, which can be extremely dangerous. Without access to contraceptives in domestic markets, many women use those that are illegally smuggled in through China. These women jeopardize their personal safety, as some of them must travel several days to reach the market.Ĭompounding the already difficult situation for the women of North Korea is the visible absence of appropriate healthcare. As labor laws dictate that men must clock in at work regardless of pay, pressure is put on women to assume the role of breadwinner in addition to fulfill their expected role of raising children. A recent economic phenomenon that has emerged within the last two decades is the female dominated market economy that has developed in the wake of both natural and economic disasters. Despite the substantial number of articles included within the Gender Equality Law detailing the various ways in which gender equality is to be enforced, the overarching patriarchal air that transcends most aspects of North Korean society counteracts whatever gender equality laws may have been put in place.įrom discrimination in the workplace to harrowing accounts of sexual abuse, Joo’s briefing illustrated to the audience the importance and urgency of the North Korean Human rights issue. North Korea first took steps towards addressing the existing gender equality issues in 1946 through the introduction of the “Gender Equality Law.” The prevalence of continued gender-based discrimination suggests that this law is little more than lip service to the issue. In her briefing, Joo addressed the trove of human rights violations occurring in North Korea that are specifically targeted towards women, beginning with perhaps the most wide-ranging gender inequality.
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Hyo-young Joo, researcher with North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity, headlined NKDB’s 13th monthly briefing and discussion of North Korean human rights on Tuesday, June 24, 2014. “Women: The Worst Human Rights Violations Victim of North Korea”