Introduction
Protecting the rights of married immigrant women
The Commission welcomed a Supreme Court ruling that allows a migrant woman who was at
risk of forcible removal after she got a divorce due to the other side’s fault to remain in Korea.
Videos of the immigrant woman from Vietnam being domestically beaten by her Korean
husband spread through Facebook and other SNS sites. Several media reports quoted a survey
that the Commission had in 2017 to help married immigrant women stay in Korea. The survey
included questions on married immigrant women’s experiences of domestic violence.
Married immigrant women have entered into Korea to maintain their marriage and family life.
They become highly dependent upon their Korean husband for help and support. In this regard,
the Commission established 13 key tasks in the 2nd Guidelines on the Human Rights of Migrants
to guarantee the rights of married immigrant women through stable sojourn and to ensure that the
government’s migrant policy are reflective of gender perspectives.
Opinions expressed regarding legislative proposals that risk limiting the rights of
the mentally handicapped
Amid rising negative perception of mentally handicapped persons following the death of a
psychiatrist in early 2019, a series of legislative bills including the proposed revisions to the
Mental Health and Welfare Act and to the Security Services Industry Act were introduced to the
National Assembly. The bills propose limitations to the rights of mentally handicapped persons
for the sake of social security. In an effort to prevent the spread of prejudice and discriminatory
attitudes towards the mentally handicapped and seek a more fundamental solution to the problem,
the Commission on four separate occasions expressed its opinion on why and how these proposals
can be problematic.
22