"Exploiting Emotional Deficits, Crime as a Gaslighting Tool"
"Should Be Viewed as a Social Structural Issue, Not Individual Crime"
A woman in her 20s who caused the death of her 4-year-old daughter through abuse was found to have been subjected to gaslighting (psychological manipulation) by a cohabiting couple. The mother, Ms. A, was forced by the couple, Mr. and Mrs. B, to engage in prostitution over 2,400 times in one and a half years, and due to the resulting stress, she abused her biological daughter, ultimately leading to the child's death.
Why was Ms. A unable to escape from the couple Mr. and Mrs. B despite abusing her daughter so severely that it led to death? Experts say this case should be viewed not as isolated crimes of 'gaslighting → prostitution → child abuse,' but as a structural social problem reflecting the failure to care for vulnerable groups.
According to the prosecution, Ms. A ran away from home in August 2020 due to domestic violence from her husband and began living with the couple Mr. and Mrs. B, whom she met through an online community. Initially, Mr. B treated Ms. A kindly, but gradually he started to burden her with household chores and pressured her to earn money.
Mr. B forced Ms. A into prostitution. It was revealed that from July 2021 to December 2022, Ms. A was coerced into prostitution over 2,400 times (an average of 4 to 5 times per day). Mr. B confiscated 124.5 million KRW of the money Ms. A earned and even took the child’s childcare allowance.
The couple Mr. and Mrs. B spent most of the money they took on themselves and their own children. Mr. B monitored every aspect of Ms. A’s life. Due to the stress from this, Ms. A vented her frustration on the child, showing irritability and resorting to physical abuse.
Ms. A’s daughter was not properly fed. For six months starting in June last year, she was given only one meal a day consisting of water mixed with formula, resulting in severe malnutrition. The child, who suffered continuous abuse and did not receive proper medical treatment, eventually died in December last year.
Attorney Eun-ui Lee, a specialist in sexual violence cases (Eun-ui Lee Law Office), commented on this case, saying, "People who are socially and economically vulnerable and emotionally deprived become targets of crimes using gaslighting as a tool. Victims often find it difficult to take legal actions such as reporting or filing complaints, and many are emotionally dependent on the perpetrators."
She added, "While gaslighting alone has limitations in punishing the perpetrator, in this case, since the victim suffered from prostitution, it is necessary to realistically reflect Ms. A’s situation in sentencing."
Attorney Lee pointed out that the essence of this case should be viewed as a structural social problem of failing to care for vulnerable groups, rather than isolated crimes of 'gaslighting → prostitution → child abuse.'
She explained, "Although it appears to be a case of child abuse following prostitution caused by gaslighting, it can be seen as an incident where a socioeconomically vulnerable woman was left alone with childcare issues. There are many difficulties when a woman is solely responsible for raising and caring for a child."
She continued, "We need to reflect on whether society can properly provide childcare and parenting support to families facing such difficulties, and whether society has neglected them. Child abuse is not only about physically hitting a child. Failing to prevent foreseeable situations that lead to abuse by not properly caring for a child is also child abuse." She emphasized, "The focus should be on whether childcare for vulnerable groups is being properly provided. That is the essence of this case."
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