An Elementary School Daughter Sexually Harassed Multiple Times by a Middle School Student
"The Perpetrator Is a Juvenile Exempt from Punishment... Reporting Does Not Lead to Punishment"
A parent’s outrage has been shared after their elementary school daughter was sexually harassed multiple times by a male middle school student, but the perpetrator was not punished because he is a 'chokbeopsonyeon' (juvenile offender under the age of criminal responsibility).
On the 11th, an online community post titled "I am the father of a daughter who was sexually harassed" was uploaded. The author, Mr. A, who identified himself as the father of the victimized child, began by saying, "My daughter first met B, a boy living nearby, at the apartment playground in October last year, and over six months, they played together several times at the playground and built a friendship."
Mr. A stated, "B would escort my daughter to and from her academy and home, learning her main routes. Then, starting in May, he began committing the crimes in earnest," adding, "B waited in front of the apartment’s main entrance, and when my daughter arrived, they took the elevator together up to her home. Inside the elevator, B touched my daughter’s body. The severity of the crimes increased over time, and the more my daughter resisted and refused, the more he cornered her and committed the acts." Due to B’s harassment, Mr. A’s daughter often ran away to her home as soon as the elevator doors opened, and B calmly went down to the first floor after confirming she had entered her home.
This series of crimes came to light when another resident waiting for the elevator heard Mr. A’s daughter scream. She told her parents that she had not spoken out earlier because she was afraid of retaliation from B.
Mr. A recalled the situation, saying, "On the day my daughter was victimized, she hid in the wardrobe to try to forget the trauma," and added, "She said she was afraid B would hit or kill her. She even felt like it was her fault and couldn’t tell us, which broke my heart." Afterwards, Mr. A and his wife reported B to the police, but since B is currently attending middle school and is under 14 years old, he is not subject to criminal charges or punishment, so no significant penalties were imposed.
Mr. A appealed, "Because he is a chokbeopsonyeon, punishment is unlikely, but my daughter is trembling even to go outside. We can’t move because of our livelihood, and it’s hopeless that there will be no punishment. I don’t want to face B’s family anymore."
On the 10th, the Sejong City Office of Education received the case and requested the school where B is enrolled to hold a School Violence Countermeasure Committee (Hakpokwi). The police, after receiving the report from Mr. A and his wife, obtained an emergency escort warrant from the court and entrusted B to the Juvenile Classification Committee for custody. Once the investigation is complete, B will be sent to the Family Court’s juvenile division.
Meanwhile, a chokbeopsonyeon (觸法少年) refers to a criminally underage person aged 10 or older but under 14 who has committed an act punishable by law. Article 9 of the Criminal Act states that "acts committed by persons under 14 years of age shall not be punished," so even if they commit acts that violate criminal law, they are not subject to criminal punishment but are instead sent to juvenile detention centers or placed under probation according to family court rulings. For offenders under 10 years old, no legal punishment is imposed at all.
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