Seoul City to Operate Three 'Stalking Victim Protection Facilities' Starting October

Mayor Oh Se-hoon Holds Meeting with 1366 Seoul Center Staff and Field Experts
First Operation of 'Stalking Victim Protection Facility' Starting October... Safely Protecting Victims from Risks like Residential Intrusion

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 26th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held a meeting at the Women’s Emergency Call Center 1366 Seoul Center, which supports stalking victims, to hear firsthand voices from 1366 Center officials and field experts. He announced plans to establish and operate a response system that covers everything from prevention to victim support so that stalking victims can safely enjoy their daily lives.

According to Seoul’s comprehensive measures for the protection and support of stalking victims, the city will promote 13 tasks in three major areas with the goal of “safe and healthy return of stalking victims to daily life as citizens”: (Prevention) improving public awareness and prevention, (Support) one-stop (integrated) victim support, and (Protection) establishing a victim protection support system.

First, starting nationwide in October, three “stalking victim protection facilities” will be operated. Two facilities (10 people) will be available for women, and one facility (4 people) for men. These facilities aim to ensure safety from threats such as residential intrusion by stalkers and provide psychological treatment programs for trauma and other aftereffects to support victims’ recovery. Notably, existing daily activities such as commuting, going out, and using mobile phones will be maintained while providing a safe space. Seoul plans to provide support through a security specialist company next year and through the one-stop stalking victim support center to be established in 2024.

Additionally, Seoul will integrate and link previously scattered services so that stalking victims can receive customized psychological, legal, medical, and accompaniment support services with a single application, implementing the “One-Stop Support Service for Stalking Victims” starting next year. Until now, victim support systems were scattered across multiple agencies, requiring victims to apply individually, causing inconvenience. This will be improved so that when a report is made through an emergency hotline, victims can receive all necessary support services at once through the one-stop (integrated) support service, ensuring seamless assistance.

Considering the urgency of supporting stalking victims, Seoul will begin the “One-Stop (Integrated) Support Project” next year and establish the “One-Stop (Integrated) Support Center for Stalking Victims” in 2024 to provide comprehensive ongoing support. The “One-Stop (Integrated) Support Service Project” starting next year is designed to allow victims to receive related services in a customized manner with a single application.

A “Behavioral Guideline Manual (Instruction Booklet)” for stalking victims will be developed and distributed to help victims establish their own action plans, enhancing their ability to protect themselves and prepare against threats. Furthermore, education and publicity to prevent stalking crimes will be strengthened to raise awareness of the seriousness of stalking and prevention methods, improving public perception and social consensus. Prevention education will be systematically conducted by target groups, dividing students and adults. For students, educational materials will be distributed through cooperation with education offices and universities via home correspondence and freshman orientation (OT). For adults, prevention education will be enhanced by dividing into public and private sectors, utilizing mandatory violence education and “visiting violence prevention education.”

An online counseling window and information provision platform for victims will also be established to create a communication space and a comprehensive information website. Considering that the main age group of victims is young people in their 20s and 30s, accessibility to counseling will be improved by opening consultation channels via online chat and KakaoTalk. Additionally, a website will be developed to provide various information at a glance, from stalking prevention to support. In the first half of next year, a stalking violence survey will be conducted every three years to prepare support measures based on more accurate data.

Kim Sun-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “We will strengthen joint response capabilities by building a network of Seoul’s counseling centers and protection facilities and cooperating with the police.” She added, “We will solidify the ‘Stalking Victim Support System’ by regularly holding case meetings on stalking victims to monitor cases, establish post-management systems, and devise measures to prevent recurrence.”