Sky News Menu ____________________ (Submit) Search Watch Live * Home * UK * World * Politics * US * Ocean Rescue * Science & Tech * Business * Ents & Arts * Offbeat * Weather North Korea rejects sexual abuse report and calls alleged victims 'human scum' Human Rights Watch found "growing evidence" to suggest sexual abuse against women was endemic in North Korea. 19:07, UK, Sunday 04 November 2018 A Human Rights Watch report found women are frequently assaulted in North Korea by men in power. Pic: Human Rights Watch Image: A Human Rights Watch report found women were frequently assaulted in North Korea by men in power * * * * * By Sanya Burgess, news reporter North Korea says a report containing allegations of widespread sexual abuse of women in the country is "an extremely dangerous provocation". Human Rights Watch (HRW) interviewed more than 50 North Koreans who fled the country in the last seven years and published their findings earlier this week. The women said they suffered rape, assault, sexual harassment, verbal abuse and intimidation at the hands of North Korean police and other officials. One woman said it was so commonplace she did not think being abused was unusual. Responding to the report, North Korea's association for human rights studies branded the women interviewed as "human scum". IFRAME: https://www.youtube.com/embed/kBzrIvh_kWE The association called the report "preposterous" and claimed it was "a part of [a] political scheme fabricated by the hostile forces ... to tarnish the image of the DPRK", the country's official acronym, according to the state Korean Central News Agency. "It is also an extremely dangerous provocation aimed at reversing the tide of peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula," the statement said. The 86-page report concludes that unwanted sexual contact and violence is so common in North Korea it has come to be accepted as part of ordinary life. It reads: "While sexual and gender-based violence is of concern everywhere, growing evidence suggests it is endemic in North Korea." North Korea threatens to restart nuclear weapons programme North Korea threatens to restart nuclear weapons programme Pyongyang says it 'cannot stop laughing' at the 'foolish idea' that ongoing US sanctions will lead to denuclearisation The US-based rights group's report included testimony from an anonymous former textile trader in her 40s, who recounted being treated like a sex toy "at the mercy of men". "On the days they felt like it, market guards or police officials could ask me to follow them to an empty room outside the market, or some other place they'd pick," where they forced sexual encounters, she said. "It happens so often nobody thinks it is a big deal. We don't even realise when we are upset," she added. Another trader said: "They consider us [sex] toys. We [women] are at the mercy of men." She continued: "Sometimes, out of nowhere, you cry at night and don’t know why." Those interviewed all left the country after 2011, when the current leader, Kim Jong Un, rose to power. More from North Korea * Kim Jong Un spends his birthday with one of Trump's biggest rivals * Kim Jong Un's ambassador to Italy 'has gone into hiding', claims South's spy agency * North Korea warns of 'new path' if US 'continues to break promises' * Visit North Korea signs sponsorship deal with English football club Blyth Spartans * Kim Jong Un moisturising face masks prove big hit in South Korea * North Korea's 'pink lady' replaced by younger presenters as state TV gets makeover In a summary of the report, HRW said: "The government fails to investigate and prosecute complaints, or to provide protection and services to victims, and even asserts that the country is implausibly free of sexism or sexual violence." "Sexual violence in North Korea is an open, unaddressed, and widely tolerated secret," said HRW executive director Kenneth Roth. Posted in: * North Korea Top Stories Theresa May DUP rubbish May's 'fairly meaningless' Brexit assurances What do the previous leaders of the UK think about Brexit? Brexit deal critics 'trying to deny reality' President Trump addresses the nation over border security Trump: Border wall will end a 'cycle of human suffering' Rahaf AlQunun posted a photograph on Twitter Saudi teen who fled 'abusive' family given UN refugee status R Kelly said he was being treated unfairly as he had not been convicted of any crimes Prosecutor urges R Kelly's alleged victims to come forward * Facebook * Twitter * Youtube * Instagram * Google+ About Sky News * About Us * Sky Data * Sky News International * Sky News Library Sales * Site Map * Editorial Guidelines * Supreme Court Live Sky News Services * Sky News RSS * Sky News For Your Phone * Sky News Radio Sky Channels * Sky 1 * Sky Witness * Sky Atlantic * Sky Arts * Sky Cinema * Sky Sports More Sky Sites * NOW TV * Sky Ocean Rescue * Sky Academy Studios * Bigger Picture * Sky Corporate * Sky Bet * Sky.com * Sky News Arabia * Advertise With Us * Terms & Conditions * Privacy & Cookies Notice * Accessibility Information * Contact Us Sky logo © 2019 Sky UK We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok. (BUTTON) Close