Sexual abuse by officials in positions of authority in North Korea appears to be widespread, according to Human Rights Watch Executive Director, Kenneth Roth.
Sexual violence - so common that it's become an ordinary part of life. That's what more than sixty North Koreans told human rights investigators about the wide spread sex abuse by officials in the country.
U.S.-based Human Rights Watch say the isolated state's human rights record is being intentionally ignored in an international effort to improve relations.
They presented their findings on Thursday (November 1), and while the survey's limited in numbers, they said some of the women interviewed didn't understand that coercive sex shouldn't be a part of almost everyday life.
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KENNETH ROTH, SAYING:
"Many North Koreans told Human Rights Watch that when an official or person in power picks a woman, she has no choice but to comply. She has to do whatever he demands whether it's for sex, money, or other favors."
As Seoul and Washington focus on diplomatic outreach to North Korea, a series of reports this year have showed similarly disturbing findings.
U.N. investigators have reported the use of political prison camps, starvation and executions in the country, saying security chiefs and possibly even Kim Jong Un himself should face international justice. (Reuters)
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