A middle school girl who was gang-raped by her parents and brother at the entrance of an apartment complex in Gangnam, Seoul, told authorities at the beginning of the incident that she did not want her family to be punished or separated. The police and the district office recognized the physical abuse, but did not initially separate the girls based on their wishes. During the subsequent investigation, the police confirmed the scene of the assault recorded on the surrounding CCTV and took urgent measures토토사이트.
According to a Kookmin Daily report, Ms. A told the Gangnam Police Department and the Gangnam District Office that she had no intention of punishing or separating the abusive family members on the day of the incident. A police official explained, “When we were dispatched immediately after the incident, the student was old enough to express her wishes and there was no trauma, and there was no confirmation of her brother’s assault.” “Based on that, we decided that there was no need for separation measures,” the official said.
The police and Gangnam-gu Office jointly interviewed the abusive family again the same day and evicted Ms. A’s father, who initiated the initial assault. They were unable to evict the mother because they were concerned that only the minor would remain in the home. An official from Gangnam-gu Office said, “We determined that there was physical abuse, but the will of Ms. A was important for the separation,” adding, “We planned to refer abusive families to specialized organizations and manage them, and temporary measures are the domain of investigative agencies.”
The Gangnam Police Department applied to the prosecution for temporary measures under the Child Abuse Punishment Act and the Special Act on the Punishment of Domestic Violence Crimes to prevent the middle school girl’s parents and brother from approaching or contacting the victim, and the court accepted. Ms. A’s father was sentenced to the most severe measure, No. 7. He was detained at the Seoul Eastern Detention Center, a measure that allows perpetrators to be held in a detention center or jail for up to two months. Her mother was sentenced to counseling and separation (Levels 1-3 and 5), and her brother was sentenced to separation (Levels 1-3).
Ms. A was not transferred to a specialized child protection facility until three days after the assault. This was because additional CCTV footage checked by the police showed her family chasing and beating her as she ran away barefoot at dawn on the 15th. The family reportedly stated, “We beat her because she refused to go to the hospital.”
Graphic not directly related to the case. Kookmin Daily DB
Experts raised the possibility that there had been previous child abuse in the home. “The fact that there was no intention to punish and separate the children even though it was obvious that they were being abused shows ‘learned helplessness,'” said Cho Soo-yeon, head of the Hoshidam Psychological Counseling Center, explaining that such feelings are common among children who have suffered continuous child abuse.
If Ms. A, who is currently staying with a specialized child protection organization, expresses a desire to return home, there is no way to stop her. “Children may not express their desire to be separated because they are afraid that they will be abused again when they return home after the temporary protection period ends,” said another expert.
The police will analyze Ms. A’s in-depth statement at the Sunflower Center on the 19th to determine if there was any ongoing physical or emotional abuse.