September Update from the National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women
September was a particularly busy month for the National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women, as Korea’s annual Anti-Prostitution Week fell during the month (September 19–25). Every year during this week, various campaigns opposing prostitution are organized across the country.
On September 23, as we do every year, we held the Dandelion Pilgrimage to commemorate the victims of the 2000 and 2002 brothel fires in Gunsan, marking the anniversary of the enactment of Korea’s Anti-Prostitution Law. This year was especially meaningful as it marked the 20th Dandelion Pilgrimage. Activists from across the country gathered in Gunsan for a memorial cultural event and marched together in solidarity.
Prostitution is the result of a deeply entrenched structure of gender inequality, yet it is still too often dismissed as a “victimless crime.” Laws and systems that criminalize the majority of prostituted women as so-called “voluntary actors” cannot resolve the issue. The state must stop treating women as criminals and instead guarantee their dignity and rights. It must act decisively to eliminate demand for prostitution—only then can the problem truly be addressed. We will continue our struggle without hesitation. Our steps toward a world free from sexual exploitation and a society of gender equality will never cease.
Meanwhile, on September 2, the National Solidarity held the previously announced report presentation on the realities of overseas sex buying tourism by South Korean men. Following the event, the Korean Embassy in Laos issued a public notice explicitly warning against engaging in overseas sex buying, and related media coverage followed.
To end overseas sex buying tourism, which violates women’s human rights and spreads sexual exploitation across borders, the National Solidarity will continue to raise awareness, demand accountability, and engage in active international solidarity. Please stay with us in this struggle.
September Update from the National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women
September was a particularly busy month for the National Solidarity against Sexual Exploitation of Women, as Korea’s annual Anti-Prostitution Week fell during the month (September 19–25). Every year during this week, various campaigns opposing prostitution are organized across the country.
On September 23, as we do every year, we held the Dandelion Pilgrimage to commemorate the victims of the 2000 and 2002 brothel fires in Gunsan, marking the anniversary of the enactment of Korea’s Anti-Prostitution Law. This year was especially meaningful as it marked the 20th Dandelion Pilgrimage. Activists from across the country gathered in Gunsan for a memorial cultural event and marched together in solidarity.
Prostitution is the result of a deeply entrenched structure of gender inequality, yet it is still too often dismissed as a “victimless crime.” Laws and systems that criminalize the majority of prostituted women as so-called “voluntary actors” cannot resolve the issue. The state must stop treating women as criminals and instead guarantee their dignity and rights. It must act decisively to eliminate demand for prostitution—only then can the problem truly be addressed. We will continue our struggle without hesitation. Our steps toward a world free from sexual exploitation and a society of gender equality will never cease.
Meanwhile, on September 2, the National Solidarity held the previously announced report presentation on the realities of overseas sex buying tourism by South Korean men. Following the event, the Korean Embassy in Laos issued a public notice explicitly warning against engaging in overseas sex buying, and related media coverage followed.
To end overseas sex buying tourism, which violates women’s human rights and spreads sexual exploitation across borders, the National Solidarity will continue to raise awareness, demand accountability, and engage in active international solidarity. Please stay with us in this struggle.