As a Rock-Paper-Scissors Punishment, Victim Student Forced to Touch Genitals
Victim Student Has Brain Lesions and Speech Impairments
At an elementary school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, it was confirmed that five fourth-grade male students repeatedly sexually harassed a female student with a speech disorder, prompting the police to launch an investigation.
According to the police on the 25th, the perpetrator students repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim, who has brain lesions and a speech disorder, between April and May, and a teacher who became aware of this reported it to the police.
The victim's parent, Mr. A, told JTBC the day before, "They said there were various punishments in a game of rock-paper-scissors," adding, "Touching my child's genitals seemed to be a severe punishment." It is known that the perpetrator students continued to harass the victim despite her expressing refusal. Moreover, the victim sat right in front of the teacher, yet the perpetrators boldly committed the acts.
Mr. A claimed that the school did not inform him of the specific details of his child's victimization. He learned about what his daughter had endured only after receiving a call from the school asking, "Do you want to request a ban on the (perpetrator) children’s approach?" However, the school did not disclose the specific details of the harm, so Mr. A had to hear about the victimization from the police. Previously, the school avoided answering Mr. A’s questions by stating, "In cases involving sexual matters, the police must be notified first."
The school did not separate the perpetrator students from the victim but temporarily suspended the perpetrators from attending school. At the subsequent School Violence Deliberation Committee meeting, the perpetrators admitted to repeatedly sexually harassing the victim but shifted blame onto each other, saying, "We were forced by friends." Furthermore, some students even said, "We thought ○○ (the victim) wouldn’t tell because she can’t speak."
The School Violence Deliberation Committee judged the case as follows: ▲The fact that multiple students conspired to have sexual physical contact targeting a student with a speech disorder was rated as 'moderate seriousness' ▲The repeated offenses in April and May were rated as 'low continuity' ▲The perpetrators considered it a joke and did not deeply consider the extent of harm, fully aware of the victim’s disability, thus 'low intent' ▲Although they shifted blame to others, they showed remorse and genuine efforts to apologize, rated as 'high degree of reflection and reconciliation.' Based on this, the committee unanimously decided to impose 'school service' on the five perpetrator students.
Parents of Perpetrators: "It Was a Joke, Why Make It a Big Deal..."
The parents of the perpetrator students downplayed the number of sexual harassment incidents committed by their children or claimed they were unaware that a disabled student was present, showing a brazen attitude. Some parents told JTBC, "We don’t understand why something that started as a joke is being made such a big issue," adding, "The school did not inform us that the victim student had a disability. If they had told us not to tease or touch the victim, this incident would not have happened."
The victim is currently reported to be suffering secondary harm, showing abnormal behavior. The Women and Youth Crime Investigation Team of the Southern Gyeonggi Police Agency is investigating the case, questioning both the perpetrator students and the school.
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