외국인 피해자 보호・지원 실태와 입법・정책적 과제

Abstract

The number of foreigners staying in Korea exceeded 2.52 million as of the end of 2019, accounting for about 4.86 percent of the total population. Official statistics on foreign victims do not exist, however the proportion of foreign victims is estimated to reach a considerable number, with the proportion of multicultural families among domestic violence crimes already reaching about 3.04 percent of the total. However, foreigners are in a difficult situation to receive the same level of protection and support as Koreans due to lack of access to the crime victim support system, as it is not easy to report damages due to cultural and linguistic characteristics. In fact, the ratio of foreign victims supported by crime victim support centers nationwide in 2019 is only 1.3 percent, far below the total number of foreigners compared to the total population, which can be estimated that many foreign victims are in the blind spot of support. Under such awareness of the problem, this study first reviews the legal status and justification of support for foreign victims and introduces the actual status of protection and support for foreign victims. Based on this, legislative and policy measures are proposed to enhance the protection and support of foreign victims, including the guarantee of the right to participate in criminal procedures, the resolution of gaps in protection and support, and the linkage between agencies.