{"id":2197880,"date":"2022-08-02T18:51:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T09:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2197880"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:48","slug":"why-south-koreas-efforts-to-combat-human-trafficking-have-fallen-short","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/08\/why-south-koreas-efforts-to-combat-human-trafficking-have-fallen-short\/","title":{"rendered":"Why South Korea\u2019s efforts to combat human trafficking have fallen short"},"content":{"rendered":"

The U.S. State Department recently downgraded South Korea in its latest report on global efforts to combat human trafficking, marking the first time the ROK has seen a decline in its ranking since the inaugural report in 2002.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>2022 Human Trafficking Report<\/span><\/a> redesignates Seoul from a Tier 1 country that is \u201cfully compliant\u201d to a Tier 2 country that \u201cdoes not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the<\/span> report<\/span><\/a>, the State Department downgraded South Korea on the grounds that its efforts against human trafficking \u201cwere not serious and sustained,\u201d pinpointing that \u201ccourts sentenced most criminals convicted for trafficking-related crimes to less than one year of imprisonment, fines or suspended sentences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The change in South Korea\u2019s status has arguably been a long time coming, highlighting the need to address a number of issues related to law enforcement mechanisms. And while Seoul has made some initial efforts in that direction, there remains much more to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

UPS AND DOWNS<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korea is a signatory to the <\/span>Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children<\/span><\/a>, which the U.N. adopted in Nov. 2000 as the first legally binding instrument against human trafficking. The ROK is an important signatory as both a<\/span> destination and transit country<\/span><\/a> for the trafficking of individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the protocol went into effect in 2003, the U.N. <\/span>consistently insisted<\/span><\/a> that South Korea develop domestic mechanisms for further protecting victims and lawfully punishing perpetrators. To meet these demands, Seoul amended its criminal act in March 2013 by enacting<\/span> Chapter 31<\/span><\/a>, which defines trafficking in persons as a distinct crime. South Korea\u2019s National Assembly subsequently ratified the U.N. protocol in Nov. 2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the ratification, many experts and<\/span> human rights organizations<\/span><\/a> continue to argue that the country lacks necessary legal measures against human trafficking. The primary issue pertains to the very definition of \u201ctrafficking\u201d: While South Korea\u2019s<\/span> Criminal Act Article 289<\/span><\/a> states that a perpetrator is \u201ca person who buys or sells another,\u201d the U.N. protocol defines trafficking <\/span>more broadly<\/span><\/a> as \u201cthe recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another problem is that South Korea<\/span> lacks an overarching enforcement mechanism<\/span><\/a> for the implementation of anti-trafficking policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, since the 2015 ratification, several different government bodies \u2014 including the gender equality ministry, justice ministry and health ministry \u2014 have made efforts to address trafficking crimes, and there has been limited cooperation and communication among the different ministries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to such challenges, <\/span>only nine people have been indicted and five convicted<\/span><\/a> out of 251 cases of trafficking registered in South Korea from 2013 to 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Hands in shackles | Image: Sammis Reachers from Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

South Korea\u2019s downgrading in the 2022 Human Trafficking Report does not come as much of a surprise in light of these problems. In fact, it even seems that the government anticipated this outcome, as South Korea passed the Act on the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Protection in April 2021, with the law set to go into force on Jan. 1, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

The act aims to<\/span> broaden the scope<\/span><\/a> of \u201ctrafficking\u201d to those who engage in \u201cthe recruitment, transportation, delivery, concealment, handover, or acceptance of persons for the purpose of prostitution, sexual exploitation, exploitation of labor, and long-term extraction.\u201d It also seeks to encourage government bodies to cooperate with each other to prevent human trafficking.<\/span><\/p>\n

But with several months left before the law goes into effect, many experts have already begun to question its added value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most critical shortcoming experts have flagged is the<\/span> absence of clauses on punishment<\/span><\/a> for trafficking crimes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The justice ministry <\/span>argues<\/span><\/a> that South Korea\u2019s 2013<\/span> Criminal Act Article 289<\/span><\/a> on trafficking includes clauses on punishment and that relevant statutes on prostitution, child protection and labor standards can also cover trafficking crimes not specified in the new anti-trafficking act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet this situation runs counter to the act\u2019s intended purpose of integrating these crimes under the banner of trafficking in order to facilitate cooperation between different government agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration\u2019s push to <\/span>abolish<\/span><\/a> the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has further complicated efforts to strengthen anti-trafficking in South Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021, the ministry <\/span>pledged<\/span><\/a> it would draft a comprehensive plan every five years to accompany South Korea\u2019s Act on the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Protection. It also announced plans to establish institutions dedicated to the protection of trafficking victims\u2019 rights and interests in 17 cities and provinces across South Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the ministry\u2019s projected abolishment, and without specific clauses on punishment, the new anti-trafficking act already faces serious obstacles before it even goes into effect. And these are issues that South Korea will need to address as part of its efforts to fight trafficking in the long term.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Culture & Society<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. State Department recently downgraded South Korea in its latest report on global efforts to combat human trafficking, marking the first time the ROK has seen a decline in its ranking since the inaugural report in 2002. The 2022 Human Trafficking Report redesignates Seoul from a Tier 1 country that is \u201cfully compliant\u201d to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7824,"featured_media":2197881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25],"yoast_head":"\nWhy South Korea\u2019s efforts to combat human trafficking have fallen short - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/08\/why-south-koreas-efforts-to-combat-human-trafficking-have-fallen-short\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why South Korea\u2019s efforts to combat human trafficking have fallen short - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. State Department recently downgraded South Korea in its latest report on global efforts to combat human trafficking, marking the first time the ROK has seen a decline in its ranking since the inaugural report in 2002. 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