"Originally, men have sexual desire, women have material desire"
"Why regulate adult videos? That's why there's blackmail and sexual assault"
"Why blame men and women... Punish both victims and perpetrators"
Victims of the brutal 'n번방' case are effectively exposed to 'secondary harm'
Experts say "Urgent need to change distorted perceptions of sexual violence"
Photo by KakaoTalk open chat room on the so-called 'n번방' case, where women were threatened to produce sexual exploitation materials, and the videos were sold through Telegram secret chat rooms. Photo by screenshot of the chat room.
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Some men are claiming that the so-called 'n번방' (n-bunbang) case?where minors and women were threatened into producing sexually exploitative material and sold through secret Telegram chat rooms?is an accident caused by a repressive environment due to regulations on adult videos, sparking controversy. Instead of expressing outrage at the brutality of the case, they are asserting a kind of justification for the crime, drawing increasing criticism.
On the morning of the 23rd, in an open KakaoTalk chat room created on the topic of the 'n번방' case, one netizen claimed, "Originally, men have sexual desire, and women have material desire," as if to argue that this incident was inevitable based on gender.
Another netizen even justified the case by saying, "Because adult videos were regulated, they had no choice but to threaten and sexually assault." Following this, another user urged, "Punish both the victims and the perpetrators."
A man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, who was arrested on charges of threatening minors and others to produce sexually exploitative materials and distributing them via the mobile messenger Telegram, is seen leaving the courtroom after a warrant hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th. The so-called "Baksa-bang," a paid obscene channel operated by Mr. A on Telegram, contained numerous sexually exploitative videos and photos targeting minors and several women. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Summarizing the situation, women who suffered severe harm by being forced to create sexually exploitative materials after their vulnerabilities were exploited have been subjected to 'secondary victimization' once again.
The problem is that there are even more netizens hiding behind anonymity engaging in such conversations. One netizen said, "Then why did you block prostitution?" and blamed the victims for the cause of the incident, saying, "Isn't this the kind of accident that happens in the end?"
Another netizen also blamed the victims, saying, "They shouldn't have done part-time jobs where they get paid for photos."
Jo Jin-kyung, director of the Teenage Women's Human Rights Center, pointed out, "The view that the victim voluntarily became a victim hinders the progress of the case," adding, "Demanding proof of coercion in the victimization situation silences the victims when the focus should be on the fact of victimization."
Another women's rights activist emphasized, "In cases of sexual violence, there are instances where, due to incorrect stereotypes, the case is viewed not from the victim's perspective but rather the victim is blamed," stressing, "It is urgent to change the distorted perceptions about sexual violence."
Meanwhile, petitions urging punishment for the perpetrators have each surpassed one million signatures. The petition titled "Please disclose the identity of the Telegram n번방 suspects and put them on the photo line," posted on the 18th, had received 2,281,361 signatures as of 2:30 PM on the 23rd.
The petitioner demanded the disclosure of Mr. A's identity, saying, "Please put the perpetrator who drove young students into hell on the photo line."
The petition demanding the disclosure of the identities of all users of the 'n번방' also exceeded one million signatures. The petition titled "We want the disclosure of the identities of all Telegram n번방 members," posted on the 20th, had 1,580,207 signatures as of 2:30 PM on the 23rd.
The petitioner pointed out, "It is useless to punish only the administrators and suppliers repeatedly," adding, "As long as there are consumers and no punishment for their purchasing behavior, it will definitely recur." They urged, "Please disclose the list of 260,000 criminals who participated in the n번방, including where they live."
They appealed, "Please disclose where they live, which workplace they attend, how old they are, and what they look like?who participated in the n번방, the list of those 260,000 criminals."
Meanwhile, Mr. A, known as the 'Doctor,' was arrested on the 19th. The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. A on charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles against Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of obscene materials, etc.).
Judge Won Jeong-sook, in charge of warrants, stated the reason for issuing the warrant: "The case is serious as Mr. A threatened and coerced dozens of women, including children and adolescents, to produce obscene materials, distributed them to gain enormous profits, inflicted severe pain on the victims, and also promoted a distorted sexual culture in our society."
She added, "There is concern for harm to the victims as he threatened to harm victims and their families using illegally obtained personal information," explaining, "There is substantial evidence of criminal charges, and there is also concern about evidence destruction and flight risk."
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