'Aunt Who Tortured Nephew by Drowning, Daughter of Gunsan Wife Murderer
Endured Domestic Violence in Childhood... Previously Posted Petition to Blue House
89% of Domestic Violence and Abuse Victims Experience Abuse Transmission
Experts: "Prevention Is Best Through Child Rights Education and Prospective Parent Training"'
An aunt (left) and her husband, who caused the death of their ten-year-old niece through abuse, are leaving Yongin Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 10th of last month to attend a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Recently, voices have emerged calling for an end to the cycle of "abuse inheritance" after it was confirmed that the perpetrator who abused and killed her elementary school-aged niece by water torture and assault was a past victim of domestic violence and the daughter of the perpetrator in the '2019 Gunsan Wife Murder Case.'
On the 5th, A, who was arrested and indicted on charges including murder and child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, was found to be the daughter of B, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the second trial for the 2019 wife murder case that occurred in Gunsan, Jeonbuk.
In the past, B was prosecuted for assaulting his wife for more than 10 hours at home, causing her death, then abandoning her body in a farm road and fleeing. The deceased wife was confirmed not to be A's biological mother, as she was B's remarried spouse.
At that time, a petition titled "I am the daughter of the suspect in the Gunsan wife murder case. Please help reveal my father's murder and ensure he receives the appropriate punishment," presumed to have been posted by A or her sister, was uploaded on the Blue House National Petition Board.
The petitioner stated, "My father sexually assaulted six women, most of whom were in their 20s," and "He brutally beat his fifth wife to death just eight months after their marriage registration." She added, "My father is angry about my cooperation with the prosecution," and "I can no longer trust the law. I am in a situation where I must protect myself and my family."
A petition posted on the Blue House National Petition Board in August 2019. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture
Additionally, the petitioner added, "Before being a daughter, I am also a victim. I want to escape this nightmare I dream of every day." As such, a past victim of domestic violence who grew up exposed to family violence from childhood eventually became a child abuse perpetrator who repeated abuse against her niece as an adult, leading to calls to break the cycle of "abuse inheritance."
This cycle of "abuse inheritance" frequently appears in cases of child abuse and domestic violence. According to the "Study on the Interrelationship of Abuse Experiences by Life Cycle" presented by Ryu Jeong-hee, Director of the Child Welfare Research Center at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs during the 2nd Population Forum last year, among 2,153 respondents with experience as domestic violence perpetrators, 52.8% experienced the same victimization in both childhood and adulthood. Additionally, 36.7% had negative life experiences in childhood, and about 89% of all respondents were found to have inherited domestic violence.
At the time, Director Ryu stated, "Childhood abuse experiences are intertwined with past adult violence experiences, which in turn affect current domestic violence perpetration. This indicates that the long-term impact and consequences of abuse and violence are extensive and profound," and "In policy intervention, it is important to improve the overall childhood developmental environment by minimizing not only childhood abuse but also negative life experiences during early life development."
Experts suggest that thorough prevention through education is the best solution to stop this cycle of abuse inheritance. Gong Hye-jung, President of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, said on JTBC's 'Morning&' on the 18th of last month, "If children are seen as the property of their parents or if the boundary between discipline and abuse is unclear, child abuse will inevitably be repeated," adding, "Most of these perpetrators also did not receive care from their original families. Therefore, attention should be paid to the fact that abuse is being inherited."
President Gong emphasized, "Preventing child abuse from occurring is the most important," and "Just as sexual violence prevention education and gender equality education are provided from a young age, education on children's rights and preparatory education for prospective parents about children's lives are necessary."
Furthermore, Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology stated, "If a mother herself experienced abuse in childhood, there is a risk that the abuse she suffered may be passed down to her child," and urged, "Ultimately, to block the long-term negative effects of inherited child abuse, eradicating abuse currently occurring to this child is the most important preventive measure."
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