가정폭력과 법적 대응에 대한 고찰

There have been great changes in gender equality with the establishment and revision of constitutional law, civil law, criminal law, and many other laws since the mid-20th century. Although formal equality has largely been achieved from these continuing legal reforms, substantial changes in practical perspective have not been made. A typical example is in the area of domestic violence. All around the world, the problem of domestic violence perpetrated by husbands has not received enough public attention. In Korea, laws to prevent domestic violence and protect victims were enacted in 1997, but a number of families are still subject to various kinds of violence as statistics say. Domestic violence might come from an insistence on patriarchal power, a distortion of the ideals of Confucianism. Since society, including families, cannot fully enforce women’s rights and legal empowerment, domestic violence does not seem to decrease. Domestic violence committed by husbands might be from their fear of losing patriarchal power. However, it is important to realize that violence cannot produce or reinforce patriarchal power; rather it is an obstacle to human dignity and equality, which is the essence of justice. Domestic violence should be eradicated to achieve human dignity and equality within families through elevating consciousness, in addition to legal reforms.