Today we release a new report detailing early findings from ongoing work on documentation of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), accounting for ethical, trauma-informed, context-sensitive, and survivor-centred investigative practices that best meet for the needs of survivors. We are thankful to Acting Ambassador, Tamara Mawhinney, and to the Embassy of Canada to the Republic of Korea for supporting this work.

Grounded in the necessary and consensual participation of the North Korean exile community, our report provides a preliminary insight into our ongoing work. The report begins by establishing a non-exhaustive list of acts perceived to constitute sexual and gender-based violence in
the DPRK. These findings are based on a gender review of interviews from the North Korean Prison Database (NKPD) and consultations with a cross-section of exiled North Korean women and men. The list provides an initial context-specific indication of what is considered sexual violence by the affected community and shows that definitions can change from person to person and constitute more than rape.

The report then provides a contextual understanding of the normative social and cultural structures that frame perceptions of sexual and gender-based violence among 50 North Korean exiles who escaped the DPRK since 2015. Our findings suggest that many, if not all, understandings of human rights violations are gendered. Understanding the gendered nature of these violations reveals why certain people are targeted by certain acts, while applying an intersectional analysis helps us see the many layers and overlapping vulnerabilities that interact with gender, such as age and social status.

Finally, the report concludes with preliminary observations regarding survivor understandings of accountability and explores the role of survivors in these processes. Although the report does not comment on legal interpretations of acts of sexual violence, our findings can inform advances and debate within the legal field, for as The Hague Principles rightly notes, a “lack of [legal] understanding and authoritative guidance [on sexual violence] threatens to diminish efforts to fully address the sexual violence components of mass international crimes."