The Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group called for improvements in the investigation, education, and administrative systems, stating that crime victims among the developmentally disabled and other legally vulnerable groups are not adequately protected during the investigation and trial processes.
In a statement released on the 24th, the Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group stated, "Even when developmentally disabled individuals are victims of crimes, they are not fully protected as victims throughout the investigation and trial processes, experiencing double victimization by being excluded again."
The group cited a case of sexual assault among disabled students at a special school in the Jeonbuk area as a representative example. According to the group, due to incorrect reporting and inadequate investigation by the school and educational authorities, the positions of the perpetrator and the victim were reversed for about two years in this case.
Moreover, concerns have been raised about the delayed investigation by the school and educational authorities, as well as the lack of proper victim protection, in a recent case where a student with autism at a comprehensive high school in Jeonbuk reported being harassed and sexually assaulted for an extended period.
The Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group pointed out that these incidents demonstrate structural limitations in the agencies handling crime cases involving developmentally disabled individuals, rather than being isolated issues at individual schools or facilities.
The group argued that although there are regulations related to abuse of disabled individuals in the Disability Welfare Act, the Criminal Act, and various special laws, these regulations are scattered across different laws, hindering the operation of an integrated protection and investigation system on the ground.
As a result, it was explained that developmentally disabled victims are subjected to different procedures and standards as they move between schools, facilities, local governments, and investigative agencies, leading to doubts about the credibility of their statements and distortion or minimization of the facts of the abuse.
The effectiveness of the system involving dedicated investigators, statement facilitators, and trusted individuals was also criticized.
The Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group proposed four improvement measures to address these issues. Firstly, they suggested moving away from designating dedicated investigators on a roster basis and operating them as specialized positions, with personnel who have received education in developmental disabilities, cognitive psychology, and communication support handling dedicated tasks for at least three years.
They also emphasized the mandatory introduction of a standard identification checklist in the initial stages of the investigation to assess the understanding, response to questions, and language use of the interviewee. They argued that a system automatically linking statement facilitators, trusted individuals, and national defense attorneys should be established when communication disabilities are suspected, regardless of disability registration status.
Furthermore, they demanded that the legal basis for the statement facilitator system be established in the Criminal Procedure Act and expanded to include not only victims but also suspects and defendants. They added that it is essential to appoint necessary national defense attorneys for developmentally disabled suspects from the police investigation stage to ensure substantive defense rights before prosecution.
Additionally, they urged the enactment of the "Special Law on Punishment of Crimes of Abuse against the Disabled" to consolidate scattered regulations related to abuse of disabled individuals in various laws.
The special law should define specific crime types such as exploitation of labor, economic exploitation, repeated abuse within facilities, and sexual violence against developmentally disabled individuals, and specify criteria for aggravated punishment, a dedicated investigation system, and trial preparation procedures.
The Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group stated, "Legal assistance from the state for judicially vulnerable groups, including developmentally disabled individuals, is not a favor but the minimum obligation required by the constitution," and emphasized the need to comprehensively improve the system to ensure equal rights for developmentally disabled individuals throughout the investigation and trial processes.
📝 Summary:
The Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group is calling for improvements in the protection of crime victims who are developmentally disabled or part of other legally vulnerable groups. They highlighted cases where disabled individuals were not adequately protected during investigations and trials, leading to further victimization.
🗣️ Korean Translation:
전북지역공동대응모임은 발달장애인 및 다른 법적으로 취약한 그룹 중 범죄 피해자들이 조사 및 재판 과정 중에 충분히 보호받지 못하고 있다고 지적하며 개선을 촉구했습니다.
❓ Comprehension Questions:
What are the main concerns raised by the Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group regarding the protection of developmentally disabled individuals during investigations and trials?
전북지역공동대응모임이 조사 및 재판 과정 중 발달장애인들의 보호에 대해 제기한 주요 우려는 무엇인가요?
What specific example did the group mention to illustrate their concerns?
그룹이 우려를 설명하기 위해 언급한 구체적인 예시는 무엇인가요?
What are the proposed improvement measures suggested by the Jeonbuk Area Joint Advocacy Group?
전북지역공동대응모임이 제안한 개선 방안은 무엇인가요?
💡 Vocabulary Learning:
1. Advocacy (대명사, 명사) - active support of an idea or cause
- 지지, 옹호
- The organization is known for its strong advocacy on environmental issues.
- 그 기관은 환경 문제에 대한 강력한 지지로 유명합니다.
2. Victimization (피해자화, 명사) - the action of making someone a victim
- 피해를 입히는 행위
- The victimization of innocent individuals must be stopped.
- 결백한 사람들에 대한 피해자화는 멈춰야 합니다.
3. Credibility (신뢰성, 명사) - the quality of being trusted and believed in
- 신뢰성
- It is important to establish the credibility of the information provided.
- 제공된 정보의 신뢰성을 확립하는 것이 중요합니다.
4. Facilitator (촉진자, 명사) - a person who helps to make a process easier or smoother
- 촉진자
- The facilitator guided the participants through the workshop activities.
- 촉진자는 참가자들을 워크샵 활동을 통해 안내했습니다.
5. Substantive (실질적인, 형용사) - having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaningful, or considerable
- 실질적인
- The report provided substantive evidence to support the claims.
- 그 보고서는 주장을 뒷받침하기 위한 실질적인 증거를 제공했습니다.
💬 댓글 (0)
댓글을 작성하려면 로그인이 필요합니다.
로그인첫 댓글을 작성해보세요!