Ministry of Gender Equality and Family: "Decrease Due to COVID-19"
However, "Support Needed for Actual Self-Sufficiency"
Voices Raised... Structural Support Budget Remains Unchanged
The number of consultations received by institutions from victims of prostitution has been increasing, while the number of people receiving self-sufficiency support or entering facilities has been decreasing. The government analyzed the main causes as COVID-19 and aversion to group living, but there are also voices calling for structural improvements in support measures.
According to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's statistics on 'Support Status for Victims of Prostitution' on the 27th, the number of consultations from victims of prostitution has steadily increased over the past few years. It rose from 61,554 cases in 2019 to 88,672 in 2020, and 92,742 in 2021. After decreasing to 89,887 cases in 2022, it increased again to 95,134 cases in 2023.
Government Seoul Government Complex, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
In contrast, the number of people entering support facilities or receiving self-sufficiency support such as living expenses and vocational training continues to decline. The number of facility admissions dropped from 1,274 in 2019 to 922 in 2021, and was 905 last year. Although the number of centers providing self-sufficiency support increased from 12 to 13 in 2022, the number of people receiving support decreased from 920 in 2019 to 832 in 2021, and 780 last year.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family explained that the main reason for the decrease in admissions and support numbers is COVID-19. A ministry official said, "During the COVID-19 period, due to concerns about group infections, outings from facilities were prohibited, and group education and treatment were also not allowed, leading to many discharges," adding, "Self-sufficiency support such as vocational training is popular, but the decrease in numbers at that time should be attributed to COVID-19."
However, apart from the tendency to avoid facility admission, there is also a perspective that the decrease in self-sufficiency support should be seen as an issue of 'effectiveness.' Heo Min-sook, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, said, "The tendency to avoid protective facilities due to discomfort with group living is becoming clear," but emphasized, "In the case of self-sufficiency support, the reduction in support is because the current support such as vocational training does not enable 'actual self-sufficiency.'" She added, "To help victims of prostitution stand up as independent members of society, comprehensive support including psychological and financial assistance beyond vocational training is needed, requiring substantial resources and detailed support."
The budget for medical, legal, and vocational training support for victims of prostitution was cut this year and remained the same in next year's budget proposal. According to the '2025 Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Budget and Fund Operation Plan' submitted to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the Democratic Party by the ministry, the budget for the victim rescue support project is 1.849 billion KRW, the same as last year. This is a reduction from the 2.255 billion KRW budget from 2021 to 2023.
Last year, the 'Joint Action to Urge Withdrawal of Cuts to the Budget for Prevention of Violence Against Women and Victim Support' held a press conference on the reduction of the budget for supporting victims of prostitution, stating, "This budget is directly provided to victims," and criticized, "What the government should do now is not budget cuts focused on performance, but securing budgets for actual victim healing and recovery and reforming systems to enhance budget effectiveness."
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