Gyeonggi Province Migrant Women’s Counseling Center Handles 1,700 Cases in Six Months Since Opening

Gyeonggi Province Migrant Women’s Counseling Center Offers Counseling in Nine Languages
A Reliable Support for Over 1,700 Migrant Women Affected by Violence
One-Stop Service from Crisis to Recovery... Serving as a 'Stepping Stone' for Settlement

The Gyeonggi Province Migrant Women’s Counseling Center, which opened in Gunpo City in August last year to support migrant women who have experienced violence, has conducted a total of 1,705 counseling sessions in just six months of operation.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

The Gyeonggi Province Migrant Women’s Counseling Center has established a step-by-step support system, ranging from the initial intake of violence-related crises, in-depth counseling in the client’s native language, case meetings, and referrals to legal, medical, shelter, and administrative agencies, to follow-up monitoring. Rather than simply providing basic counseling, the center involves native-language professional counselors and interpretation and translation support from the very beginning, ensuring an accurate understanding of the victim's situation and conducting sessions that reflect the intentions of the migrant women themselves.

Multilingual counseling is available in nine languages: Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Uzbek, Spanish, English, Lao, and Russian. The center offers tailored support, including legal counseling and litigation assistance for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and dating violence, as well as counseling on residency status issues, connections to medical and psychological recovery services, referrals to emergency shelters and protective facilities, and the provision of daily life information to help with settlement in Korean society.

Of the 1,705 counseling cases handled over the past six months, 29.4% were related to domestic violence, making it the most common issue. This was followed by general legal counseling at 10.9%, divorce at 9.8%, and sexual violence at 8.9%. A significant portion of the counseling cases involved violence-related issues, including prostitution, stalking, and dating violence.

Looking at specific cases, a migrant woman from Thailand, referred to as Ms. A, sought help at the center and received counseling in her native language after her marriage broke down due to her spouse’s neglect. She is currently undergoing divorce proceedings with legal aid support and is also receiving assistance to extend her residency status for a stable trial process. Another case involved Ms. C, a Vietnamese national experiencing psychological difficulties due to depression and menopause, who received help by participating in a healing trip program with her children through the center’s referral. Through such diverse cases, the center has gained trust as a recovery center that helps migrant women not only survive but also rebuild their lives after experiencing violence and seeking help.

Inquiries to the Migrant Women’s Counseling Center can be made by phone or in person on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Detailed information is available on the Gyeonggi Province Migrant Women’s Counseling Center website.

Kim Wonkyu, Director of the Immigration Society Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "In 2026, we plan to further strengthen the region-based integrated support network centered on the Migrant Women’s Counseling Center. We will continue to expand native-language counseling capabilities and, through collaboration with related organizations such as legal counseling and support teams, the women’s emergency hotline, Danuri Call Center, shelters, medical institutions, and the police, we will continue to provide protection and recovery support for migrant women who have experienced violence."