The Korea Times reports that sexual assaults on disabled women in Korea are increasing at an alarming rate. The number of cases reported to the Women with Disabilities Empathy jumped from 510 in 2008 to 838 in 2009 and 570 in the first half of 2010 alone.
Women's rights activists point out that a loophole in the law, which is supposed to ensure that anyone who attacks a disabled person is punished heavily, means that rapists are often shown leniency. The law requires the disabled person to be "graded" as part of an authorised grading system in order to be "acknowledged as a person with a disability" through various performance and other screening processes.
A consultant of the Disabled Women's Rights group, Hwang Ji-sung said, “We are planning a press conference to raise public awareness on the issue and will hold signature collection campaigns to lobby experts. We believe mental retardation should be protected and respected as with any other disabilities.”
