Over 2,200 Runaway Groups Disbanded in Last 5 Years
Involvement in Crimes to Secure Basic Needs...Some Linked to Sexual Offenses
Runaway Experience Among At-Risk Youth Up 20%p Year-on-Year
Measures are needed for runaway youth who are not only exposed as victims of crime but also at risk of becoming suspects. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Crimes related to so-called 'Runaway Fam'?a community formed by runaway youths and early 20s adults living together as a group?are intensifying. Runaway youths are not only exposed to crime but also face the risk of becoming suspects directly involved in crimes, as they may join these groups with collective characteristics and even become entangled in violent crimes.
According to data from the National Police Agency on the 30th, the number of dismantled runaway fam cases was △51 in 2017 △91 in 2018 △108 in 2019 △125 in 2020 △77 in 2021, totaling over 2,200 people in the past five years. Including runaway youths not accounted for in the statistics, the actual scale is estimated to be much larger.
Police statistics show that last year, there were 21,379 missing person reports for children under 18, and the actual number of runaway youths, including unreported cases, is expected to exceed 100,000. However, only 20,400 youths were admitted to youth shelters as of the previous year. The rest of the youths face society without any safety measures against crime.
Runaway youths are vulnerable to becoming victims of crime. On the 25th, a 14-year-old middle school girl, A, who had been missing for two months, and a man in his 20s, B, who was living with her, were booked by the police on charges of violating the Missing Child Protection Act. B reportedly lured A, whom he met through a mobile game messenger, to his home by promising to provide food and lodging. During the police investigation, B stated that he felt sorry for A, who had run away and had nowhere to go, so he kept her with him.
Runaway youth are at high risk of becoming involved in crimes such as prostitution in order to secure food, clothing, and shelter. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Moreover, there is a high risk that runaway youths may directly engage in crimes to secure basic necessities. On the 15th, according to Daejeon Jungbu Police Station, two men in their 20s who recruited runaway 'delinquent minors' under 14 years old?who are exempt from criminal punishment?to commit gold and silver shop thefts, along with 10 others involved in the crimes, totaling 16 people, were arrested. Investigations revealed that C (20) and D (20), former schoolmates, instructed four runaway youths aged 13 to 14, whom they met in society, to steal items. They also advised the minors to claim their status as delinquent minors and refuse to testify to avoid punishment.
Runaway youths may also become involved in sex crimes while seeking places to stay. According to the Korea Youth Policy Institute's '2020 Crisis Youth Status and Survey Basic Research,' among 627 youths experiencing family, educational, personal, and social crises, 9.8% reported having been enticed or offered conditional meetings, and 6% said they had actually experienced such meetings.
As the number of crisis youths with runaway experiences increases, calls for countermeasures are growing. According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's '2021 Crisis Youth Support Agency User Living Conditions Survey,' 32.6% of crisis youths had experienced running away. Those who reported running away within the past year accounted for 22.6%, which is about 20 percentage points higher than the previous year's 2.5%.
The police are currently conducting a research project on 'Runaway Fam and Violence Circle Status Survey and Response Measures.' Unlike previous studies focusing on individual runaway youths, this research analyzes runaway youths by concentrating on their organizational characteristics.
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized the need for collaboration among the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, police, and local governments to address issues such as school violence, cyberbullying, runaway fams, and out-of-school crisis youths during a meeting with young police officers after the Central Police Academy graduation ceremony on the 19th of last month.
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