Having disabilities = No human rights?

 
In September, the film ‘Silenced('Dogani' in Korean)’ released and sent shock waves through the nation.

  This movie has been reconstituted based on a true story of   hearing impaired, young students at Gwangju Inhwa School
who were raped by the principal in 2005. They were not only sexually abused but also physically. They were beaten, died of malnutrition, and involved in a forced labor.
However, the principle and other officials denied their charges and tried to cover their sins up by using their wealth and high social status, making judges and even victims be silenced.
So, the principle only paid the penalty and other teachers who also raped their students were sentenced to 1~2 years in prison. They all returned to the school as if nothing has happened to them and still teach students.

The film brought about a public rage and people started several campaigns and petition in an effort to urge the police to reinvestigate the case. 

Several weeks after the movie was released, the police booked 14 people who were involved in the case in 2005 and a new law ‘Dogani’ was enacted which was named after the movie in order to strengthen the punishment of crimes against disabled people especially young children.

However, what the movie showed is only part of the whole picture. It only showed a part of an abuse of human rights of people with disabilities in South Korea. Since July of 2008, in Kong-ju city, Chungcheong nam-do, a 14 year-old girl with intellectual disability has been sexually assaulted by neighbors for more than 2 years and the criminals were arrested in 2010. Other than this, there have been a lot of sexual crimes against disabled people who need protection from society.

The main reason why so many disabled people become the victims of crimes is due to the society’s negligence and a biased perspective people hold. People normally consider them to be weak and incompetent. This has led some people to commit crimes against people with disabilities.

There are a wide range of social organizations which have been established to protect their rights and uncover any crimes against them.
However, still, many disabled people are assaulted by others. Since July of 2008, in Kong-ju city, Chungcheong nam-do, a 14 year-old girl with intellectual disability has been sexually assaulted by neighbors for more than 2 years and the criminals were arrested in 2010.

Other than this, there have been a lot of sexual crimes against disabled people who need protection from society.

The film ’Silenced’ should be a starting point for people to continuously pay attention to any injustice towards people with disabilities.