SEOUL (The Korea Herald/ANN): About 37.3 per cent of South Korean boys who were victims of sex crimes did not tell anyone, a survey by a local civic group working against sexual exploitation of children showed recently.
Tacteen Naeil, a South Korean member of the human rights group ECPAT International, revealed the survey results at a public discussion on gender equality in Seoul on July 10, according to the country’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.
In the survey of underage boys, including teens, 27 per cent of victims said that they refrained from telling others because “it wasn’t manly” and “looked weak” to seek help.
“It shows that (male victims) are forced to stay silent because of the prejudice over gender roles,” said Jeong Hee-jin, a project director for the civic group. “One victim said that when he told others of the sexual violence, they told him they envied him, or asked why he couldn’t just enjoy it.”
Data from Seoul’s support centre for digital sexual crimes – such as unlawful filming and online distribution of sexual content – showed that the number of male victims had risen from 2,320 in 2023 to 2,618 in 2025, accounting for a quarter of all victims.
Gender Equality Minister Won Min-kyong said the types of gender-related violence were becoming more diverse and vowed to reach out to those in left in the blind spot of the government’s protection. -- THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
