Violation of women’s and children’s rights in the democratic peoples’ Republic of Korea (selected issues)

Abstract

This article is an attempt to show the problem of the violation of human rights in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, especially women and children. Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of behavior. It includes the rights to live, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of opinion and expression. In the Democratic Peoples` Republic of Korea (DPRK) those rights are non-existent. In that country the regime uses capital punishment as a tool of oppression. What is more labor camps exist there. The situation of women and children in Korea is very hard. Women experience discrimination, rapes and famine. Furthermore, since 2015 military service has been obligatory for them and they spend from 5 to 7 years there in military service. Moreover, domestic violence is prevalent. They have not got access to social support. The legal system is appalling as DPRK lowered the penalties for some forms of rape, including the rape of children, rape by work supervisor and repeated rape. Children are used for hard labor. Disabled children are killed or sent to a special place called “Hospital 83” to which disabled persons are being sent for the medical investigation into chemical and biological weapons.