SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Lawmakers on Tuesday moved to raise penalties for rapes of children and disabled people in a bid to curb sex crimes against the most vulnerable.
A sub-committee of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed a revision bill lifting the statute of limitations on rapes committed against children under age 13 as well as handicapped people.
The bill also allows a maximum penalty of life imprisonment for those convicted of raping the disabled or children, a much heavier punishment than the current up to seven and 10 years for each respective group, according to the committee in charge of evaluating bills.
The move came after a local box-office hit sparked a widespread public outrage against sex crimes committed by teachers against their disabled students and the light punishments those convicted received.
The film "Dogani," whose English title is "The Crucible," is based on the shocking true story of teachers at a school in the southwestern city of Gwangju for the disabled committing repeated sex crimes against hearing-impaired students for five years from 2000.
The revision bill "holds significance in categorizing sex crimes against the disabled and below-13 age females and toughening the punishment for them," said an official of the sub-committee.
The bill needs approval from the parliamentary legislation committee on Thursday before it can be put to a full floor vote.
It also calls for lifting the burden, previously shouldered by victims, of proving that they were mentally or physically unable to resist sex offenses at the time of the crimes, a clause that was heavily criticized by experts and female-rights groups.
Under the revision, sex offenders with jobs that primarily protect or educate disable people will be made to come under heavier punishments.
