S. Korea flouts UN body’s call for reparations for sex-trafficked Filipinas

Neon signs glow in an area known for its hostess bars in Korea. (Yonhap) While the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, known as CEDAW, concluded that the South Korean government should provide full reparation to three Filipino women for failing to protect them while they became victims of human trafficking, the government is maintaining that it will “take appropriate action according to the ruling of the court” following the women’s request for a retrial in 2023. Such a stance shows that the government is denying the harm suffered by these three women and that it has no intention of implementing UN recommendations. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family confirmed on Tuesday that it had drawn up an implementation plan that synthesizes the positions of related ministries, including the Justice Ministry, and submitted it to the UN on May 10 in response to the CEDAW committee’s recommendation for “full reparation” for the Filipino women in 2023. Based on the CEDAW committee’s recommendation, the victims have filed for a retrial of a court ruling finalized in 2020 that determined that the South Korean government was not liable for damages for ordering their deportation and detention, even though...