 |
(Yonhap) |
An Army noncommissioned officer was hospitalized following multiple suicide attempts after suffering alleged sexual harassment and bullying by her colleagues, the victim's family has said, in yet another sex crime in barracks and the military's failure to protect the victim.
According to a petition posted on an online bulletin of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the staff sergeant allegedly suffered sexual harassment, molestation and stalking by a sergeant first class of the same unit after rejecting his date offer upon commissioning in April last year.
The staff sergeant reported the harassment to her unit four months later in August, and the alleged perpetrator was discharged the following month, but the victim's family said she had to sign an unwanted settlement due to pressure from her division.
According to the petition, the victim's unit failed to immediately separate the victim from the perpetrator, and the victim suffered bullying by other members of the unit after officially raising the issue.
According to the petition, the victim's unit failed to immediately separate the victim from the perpetrator, and the victim suffered bullying by other members of the unit after officially raising the issue.
"My once healthy sister has been in agony for over a year ... and after multiple suicide attempts, she is now at a psychiatric hospital for comprehensive treatment," the petition posted Friday said.
An Army official said they had to proceed with an internal disciplinary procedure first, as it was not immediately clear if the victim wanted to officially file a complaint over the incident.
"A complaint was later filed, so we transferred the case to the civilian prosecution, and a trial is underway," the official said, adding that they are investigating alleged secondary harm inflicted by other members of the unit and whether its initial response was appropriate.
The petition came just a week after Defense Minister Suh Wook apologized over the apparent suicide of a female Navy noncommissioned officer amid allegations that a senior colleague sexually harassed her.
Three months earlier, an Air Force noncommissioned officer took her own life after she was sexually abused by a colleague of the same rank. (Yonhap)
