"Preventing a Second n-Bang Room Incident"... Seoul City Provides Comprehensive Support for Children and Adolescents

Promotion of 'Digital Sexual Violence Integrated Support Policy' with Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education
Establishment of a dedicated online channel for teenagers enabling anonymous counseling and emergency reporting

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching comprehensive support against digital sexual violence specialized for children and adolescents to prevent a second "Nth Room" incident targeting minors. Within this year, it will also establish the first-ever "Digital Sexual Violence Task Force (TF Team)" among local governments.

On the 25th, Seoul announced that it will conduct large-scale preventive education targeting 20,000 students, from elementary school students who do not recognize the seriousness of digital sexual violence to middle and high school students who actively use social media, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

Additionally, by May, a dedicated anonymous consultation window for teenagers who cannot talk about digital sexual violence to anyone, including their parents, will be newly established within the digital sexual violence online platform "On Seoul Safe (https://www.seoulcitizen.kr/)". This platform will provide emergency reporting, online counseling, and comprehensive information on support measures for victims of digital sexual violence.

Upon request from victimized students, a "Child and Adolescent Dedicated Support Companion" will assist throughout the entire victim relief process, including evidence collection, complaint preparation, and accompanying police statements. To this end, a specialized support team of 100 professionals in law, medical care, and psychological treatment will be formed.

Utilizing the structure where perpetrators lure victims into sexual exploitation through access to social media, a professional counselor will detect children and adolescents exposed to danger early using the same method and alert them to the risk of crime in advance through the "Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention and Early Intervention Program." In cooperation with private organizations, the "Digital Sexual Violence Perpetrator Tracking Program" will also be promoted to track perpetrators such as operators, buyers, and possessors of child and adolescent sexual exploitation videos distributed via Telegram, chat apps, and others, and to file complaints and prosecutions against them.

Seoul will establish the Digital Sexual Violence Task Force this year, the first among local governments to respond comprehensively to all these issues, and plans to create an integrated support center specialized for children and adolescents next year. Although recent digital sexual violence cases have increasingly invaded everyday areas such as messengers and social media frequently used by children and adolescents, resulting in numerous victims, there have been no dedicated countermeasures or specialized support institutions for children and adolescents. This initiative responds to calls for specialized measures.

Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, stated, "Digital sexual violence, which uses anonymity as a weapon, is a murderous act that kills victims and their families and a vicious crime that sickens society. It is absolutely unforgivable, especially when targeting children and adolescents. We will utilize all available authority to provide concrete and comprehensive support, from prevention to victim assistance, including 'Child and Adolescent Dedicated Support Companions' and legal support services."