Statement on the Case of a Cambodian Victim of Domestic Violence

February 10, 2009

On January 30, 2009, an 18-year-old Cambodian woman who had been suffering from habitual domestic violence was arrested on charge of inflicting physical injury to her husband while trying to protect herself and her 3-month unborn child from his beating. On Feb. 4, the husband died in hospital and she is currently held in custody.

It has been revealed that the husband frequently drank and used violence in an outrageous temper. The drinking that started outside was often continued at home until 3 or 4 am and this would subsequently lead to harassment on the wife. He not only did not allow her to go to bed but also made her sit upright when he was drinking.

On the day of the incident, the husband, accompanied by his pregnant wife, was drinking outside until late-night as usual. The wife urged him to go back home early. He became unpleased by her continuous request, and in the cab on their way home, he started intimidating her by using physical violence. Frightened, she called her mother-in-law to ask for help, but her mother-in-law was not able to help. When the couple arrived home, the husband again started beating her for telling on his mother. Obsessed by strong fear, she grabbed a knife in self-protection, which led to the tragic incidence.

According to the Ministry of Gender Equality’s 2007 research on cases of domestic violence, 17.7% of marriage migrants married with Korean men have experienced physical domestic violence. A number of marriage migrants are experiencing frequent domestic violence, sexual abuse, insult, and verbal abuse which violate human dignity.

This incident is, therefore, a result of self-defense: the woman was left with no other choice but to protect herself and her baby from persistent domestic violence and harassment. Furthermore, this should not be perceived as a mere accident that happened to one specific woman. It clearly shows a real aspect of migrant women’s life where the only way to escape from the violence they suffer is through an extreme, death-inflicting situation. This case needs to be understood in an extension of the two tragedies: One is Huynh Mai who was killed by her husband’s physical violence in 2007, and the other is Lanh who committed suicide to escape from her miserable life in Korea. Today we are witnessing how verbal, mental, and physical violence in closed families can put marriage migrant women, who have diverse restrictions such as language barriers and social or cultural isolation, in life-threatening circumstances.

Domestic violence regularly happens in Korea – 1 out of 6 households: this is not a single event. When faced with domestic violence, women feel threat to their life every passing moment. We believe that the patriarchal culture of Korea contributed to bringing about this incident by overlooking the seriousness of domestic violence and sufferings of its victims.

This is a critical period which requires public awareness on domestic violence as well as active practices and actions in responding to it. Specifically, education and training for developing sensitivity against violence is required. Also, Korean government should take responsibility in settling such domestic violence

We declare that this is a self-defense case of a teenaged marriage migrant who tried to protect herself and her unborn baby. We will proceed with our actions to protect her. We look forward to the society which respects the basic human rights of marriage migrant women.

Organizing Committee n