SEOUL – South Korea’s Gender Equality and Family Ministry said today it will carry out a fact-finding survey on stalking and dating violence later this year and map out employment plans for women during the pandemic.
In its 2021 policy plan, the ministry said it is prioritising the prevention of sexual crimes against women and promoting gender equality in the job market to help women find employment and continue their careers with confidence.
The ministry said stalking and dating violence issues will be included in its triennial research on domestic abuse and sexual violence starting this year in a bid to address rising calls for the prevention of such crimes, the Yonhap news agency reported.
To review and monitor the implementation and operation of related policies, a new ministry division will be created this year.
It will also formulate legal grounds for punishing those who lure underaged people for sex trafficking through social networks and strengthen education for teenagers to prevent online sex crimes.
The ministry said it will announce detailed measures to enhance female employment next month to support women who have lost their jobs amid the pandemic and those who are struggling to find employment after childbirth.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has tightened the job market for women,” vice-minister Kim Kyong-seon said in an online briefing today.
“We will come up with measures to solve the problem.”
In cooperation with the Employment and Labour Ministry, the Gender Ministry will offer consultation services to job-seeking women from the low-income group and unemployment benefits worth 3 million won (RM10,918) for six months.
The ministry will also push forward with its long-term plan to change the legal definition of family to embrace increasingly diverse family models, including unmarried cohabiting couples.
It had a public hearing on the issue last month and is now working on detailed plans, which will be released later, the ministry added. – Bernama, February 2, 2021
