The memorial altar for the victim on the Inha University campus is demolished due to secondary victimization. (https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/A2022071923560005235)
The secondary victimization surrounding the death of a 20-year-old female college student on the Inha University campus has recently been controversial among the public. In the early hours of July 15, a female freshman suspected of being a victim of sexual assault was found falling out of the building on the Inha University campus. A passerby reported her to 119, and the woman was taken to a hospital but eventually died. Police had investigated a male student of the same university, and the court issued a warrant on charges of illegal filming, rape, and manslaughter.
Meanwhile, the victim’s identity was specified in the article that first publicized the incident, and the media releases have focused on unnecessary information, intensively mentioning “a naked woman” and “in a drunken state.” Besides, many insulting articles against the victim were posted on several online platforms and media reports, fueling secondary victimization. Some people speculated about the incident by spreading rumors about her demeanor and appearance on the online college community, “Everytime.” Even more, countless illogical comments on press releases asked about the victim’s responsibilities rather than the assailant’s. As a result, those provided the cause of victim-blaming that “everything is because she was not being careful.”
The seriousness of secondary victimization of the case is revealed by insulting posts and victim-blaming on online platforms.
Photo Credit: https://m.sedaily.com/NewsView/268KJ9DGS7#cb
Inappropriate media reports drew excessive attention to the victim, not the assailant. Unfortunately, the victim is still at the center of controversies even after her death, and her innocent family has endured secondary victimization. Nevertheless, online platforms, media, and the university all seem to be sitting on the sidelines, evading responsibility for the second wave of victimization following a tragic death.
Most overlook it, but secondary victimization is a “crime” defined by law. However, Korean society still faces a problem in retrogressive perception of sexual crime, which leads to secondary victimization. In order not to repeat such tragedy ever again, the government, educational institutions, and media that are socially responsible should be objective and prudent in protecting victims as a top priority and implement a thorough compulsory education and prevention system of secondary victimization.
Written by Yu Bin Kwon | Managing Editor
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