KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Abstract

Transformation of Support Systems for Victims of Domestic Violence in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Hyojung Kim

Jung-im Hwang

Hyeon-seung Ko

Eonju Park

Hwajeong Yoo

 

During the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, nations in the world and key international organizations including the UN and WHO expressed concern that the spread of the pandemic may heighten tensions at individual or social levels and that relevant preventive measures will increase the period of time in which people stay indoors, further exposing women to domestic violence and undermining gender equality. Even in Korea, it was also pointed out that the pandemic may lead people to stay indoors longer, raising the risk of family violence but making it harder to ask for necessary help. The government has taken more comprehensive measures to react to the pandemic, recommending social welfare facilities including domestic violence shelters to be temporarily closed, failing to come up with measures reflecting special challenges faced by the victims of family violence and thereby bringing about diverse difficulties in supporting the victims.

 

In connection with gender-based/domestic violence, policies for coping with infectious diseases have since been gradually enhanced. However, in-depth research has yet to be sufficiently conducted on ‘how to resolve issues relating to systems and policies for supporting victims of domestic violence, which have been exposed while experiencing the pandemic,’ ‘the limitations and problems of existing support systems,’ ‘how such problems have been caused, changed, and worsened during the COVID-19 crisis,’ ‘how Korea’s support systems can be assessed amid changes in personal and social circumstances,’ and ‘what countermeasures should be devised.’

 

Issues that have been raised in the process of carrying out policies for supporting victims of family violence during the COVID-19 period are not limited to the pandemic situation. They can reemerge at any time, when another social crisis breaks out in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to make active endeavors to review and resolve the problems of existing support systems for victims of domestic violence. This is considered as one of the proactive measures to ensure the stable operation of the support systems in a new crisis (the next pandemic, etc.) that may occur in the future.

 

Against this backdrop, this paper is designed to check the current state of existing support systems, to present the direction and goals of support policies customized for the post-COVID-19 age, and to figure out policy alternatives. Data are gathered via literature reviews, in-depth interviews with victims and agency staff, global case reviews, and online surveys. Based on analysis results, this study presents policies and improvement plans for the development of support systems that can make significant contributions to the recovery and self-sufficiency of victims of family violence belonging to the category of gender-based violence.

 

To this end, chapters one (introduction) and two review the establishment and components of support systems for victims of domestic violence. Korea’s support systems for victims of family violence have experienced institutionalization since the 1990s. The feminist movement has since shown strong signs of separating from support agency operation and counseling, weakening the role of support agencies as feminist institutions that take the lead in eradicating domestic violence and supporting victims and strengthening their role as social service providers. Considering the role of feminist politics or perspectives that has been reduced since the institutionalization, the situation where conservative discourses personalizing the issue of domestic violence are reinforced is regarded as a problem and degeneration resulting from institutionalization. Now, it is time to check whether the concepts of family violence mainly handled by individual agencies, as well as the principles and direction of victim support, are dealt with in the context of gender equality and human rights.

 

Next, this research study reviews the concepts and components of victim support systems presented by key international organizations, analyzing and comparing them with those in Korea. Since the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women was adopted at the 1993 UN General Assembly, the prevention of family violence and victim support have been acknowledged as national obligations. Countries should set up response systems to prevent violence against women, which consist of the following key elements: 1) care/support for and empowerment of victims/survivors; 2) protection and justice; and 3) system coordination and integration. Also, the following five elements were presented as essential support services: 1) emergency helplines for the safety, protection, and recovery of victims of domestic violence; 2) police and justice sector responses; 3) health care; 4) safe accommodations; and 5) shelters and psycho-social counseling. Taking into account such global trends, the Korean government has prescribed and promoted domestic violence prevention and victim support as national duties. It is also deemed to have been equipped with the aforementioned support system components and essential service elements. Therefore, the next task is to examine whether each sector functions properly and if intersectional connection and collaboration systems are well established and to implement system improvement processes.

 

Chapter three looks into the state and changes of support systems for victims of family violence that have been witnessed in the past ten years. The numbers of calls made to 112 and counseling cases continuously jumped and have slightly fluctuated since 2020 when the COVID-19 broke out. The shares of phone counseling and visit-based consultations have dropped for the past ten years and the percentage of online counseling has significantly climbed. Since 2012, the number of victims admitted to domestic violence shelters has continuously fallen while the shares of short-term and long-term residents have declined and risen, respectively. Emergency call centers (1336) for women, domestic violence counseling centers, and domestic violence shelters have consistently grown in number and operated across the nation.

 

Chapter four presents results from the analysis of interviews with 16 activists who are working in emergency call centers for women (1366), domestic violence counseling centers, and domestic violence shelters. All of the three institutions are faced with changes in demand for victim support and in policy environment, experiencing the limitations and problems of systems. Even though specific circumstances differ slightly, comprehensive rechecking and resetting are found to be required in operation direction/models and human & physical infrastructure. In connection with victim support during the COVID-19 period, they are found to have experienced difficulties resulting from lack of customized operation manuals or guidelines, as well as service vacuums coming from the suspension of agency operation and changes in support systems.

 

Chapter five analyzes data from interviews with 15 victims who have experiences in receiving agency services. The results show that victims experienced difficulties stemming from ‘isolation and control,’ ‘placation and repeated violence,’ ‘narrow views of family violence,’ and ‘social attitudes that victims are not completely free of blame in domestic violence.’ Services from the police, emergency call centers for women (1336), domestic violence counseling centers, and domestic violence shelters are found to be a big help to victims. It is also found that the following specific measures should be taken for system improvements: 1) more strongly supporting victims to stand on their own feet; 2) taking victims away from perpetrators; 3) imposing stronger penalties on offenders; 4) restricting the visitation rights of perpetrators after divorce; 5) improving counseling center systems to cope with infectious diseases; and 6) modernizing victim protection facilities.

 

Chapter six reviews and introduces victim support cases in global, national, and regional contexts, identifying implications on Korea’s future policies. The analysis results reveal that survivor-centered services based on gender perspectives are essential elements in supporting victims, that the diversity of victims should be recognized and handled as an important issue, considering the multiplicity and multidimensionality of violence victimization, and that, comprehensive and integrated services should be provided to victims whose needs are diverse and unique. It is also found that services should be directly offered to victims to prevent domestic violence and secondary victimization and that interventions with offenders should be made via authorized programs.

 

Based on the aforementioned analysis results, chapter seven presents the future direction and improvement issues of Korea’s support systems for victims of domestic violence. In connection with the future direction of support systems, the following four principles are offered. First, it should be recognized that family violence is not an unfortunate incident that occurs by chance or due to an individual’s disposition towards violence but gender-based violence that breaks out due to gendered social structures. To this end, domestic violence should be handled based on gender perspectives. Second, support services should focus on directly delivering support to victims. Third, the diversity and intersectionality of violence victimization, as well as the diversity of victims, should be more comprehensively understood to enable all victims to benefit from appropriate services regardless of gender, marital status, age, social class, ethnicity, gender identity, and disabilities. And fourth, victim support agencies should be acknowledged as essential institutions that must operate regardless of environmental variables, based on which facility operation principles should be established.

 

Next, this study presents improvement plans in connection with victim support systems, laws, and the elimination of blind spots. First of all, barrier-free support facilities for victims should be established and operated. To this end, it is necessary to set up and ensure the principles of availability and accessibility. Moreover, cooperation with related agencies, information services, and statistics/data sharing should be systematized, building integrated support systems for victims of family violence and developing and operating staff training systems. Specifically, emergency shelters should be upgraded, modernizing protective facilities, improving operation principles, checking the purposes and content of continuously rising untact counseling services, and establishing integrated management systems.

 

In terms of legal improvements, the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Crimes of Domestic Violence should be revised to delete ‘family protection’ from the section of ‘purpose’ therein and to clearly focus on the safety, recovery, and self-sufficiency of victims. The segregation of victims and perpetrators should be strengthened, imposing duties on offenders, rather than victims. If violating this rule, the movements of the perpetrators should be traced and monitored, placing or subjecting them in detention centers or to aggravated punishments, respectively. Such strict and immediate interventions are deemed to be required. Moreover, the visitation rights of persons with a history of crimes of domestic violence should be restricted to ensure the safety of victims and their children. Standards for operating and installing support facilities should also be checked for mid-to-long-term improvements, expanding the operation of shelters where one room for each household is ensured. The improvement of victim support systems based on assets is proposed, along with additional support in financial independence and housing. Lastly, systems for supporting victims who are not admitted to shelters or should continuously implement economic activities should be introduced to reduce blind spots in offering services to victims. In the same vein, opinions from victims and anti-domestic violence activists should be regularly collected and reflected in relevant policies.

 

Research areas: gender-based violence and safety, culture and awareness of gender equality, and laws & plans

Keywords: domestic violence, gender-based violence, post-COVID-19, and support for victims of domestic violence