Rights in the DPRK : Discrepancies Between International and Domestic Legal Instruments in Promoting Women’s Rights and the Reality Reflected by North Korean Defectors

This article examines the effectiveness of international and local women’s rights legislation on women’s rights in the DPRK.  The DPRK has adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”), and has domestic legislation such as the Law on Sex Equality, the Socialist Constitution, the Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Women, the Criminal Law, the Law on Compensation for Damages, the Criminal Procedure Act, the Family Law, and the Law on Socialist Labour Rights. The article notes a discrepancy between these law’s claims and defectors’ reported experiences. The article suggests these abuses are perpetuated due to a lack of awareness, the national institutions for women’s rights focusing on mobilization rather than rights protection, and patriarchal norms. The article ends by recommending changes the DPRK and Human Rights bodies can make to improve protection of women’s rights in the DPRK.