The Nth Room Case and Why It’s Important Address
The nth room case, as you may have heard before, is a digital sex crime case that occurred on telegram, an encrypted messaging app. This sex trafficing case consisted of several chatrooms in which graphic videos of violent sex acts - several involving underage girls- were shared to more than 260,000 members. These members had paid several hundreds of dollars to gain access to these explicit videos in an attempt to remain anonymous. Some of the videos included disgustingly violent acts like carving the word ‘slave’ on a woman’s wrist, raping underage girls, among many other unimaginable things.
After this case was publicized, many people paid tribute to the victims through social media trends like writing #n번방 on their Instagram posts and stories, and posting screenshots of them signing a petition to reveal the members of the chatroom. The awareness being spread and the petitions being signed are tremendous help for the members of the caht being exposed and the victims gaining some comfort, but our effort to pay tribute to this case shouldn’t stop from there.
Here is my input on this case: the nth room incident isn’t just some singular, surprising case that emerged out of nowhere. Yes, it was horrific and surprising, but this incident cannot be separated from the culture of misogyny and rape that’s already pervasive everywhere, to the point of it being even commonplace.This case was just an outrageous example of the misogynistic culture deeply rooted in our society. So just because you weren’t in the nth room doesn’t mean you were not also contributing to these issues through your microaggressions, your blatant misogyny, and/or your internalized misogyny. This entire case is a manifestation of an already deep-rooted problem so you shouldn't give yourself a pat on the back for superficially showing that you care, whether it be posting an Instagram story with #n번방, or signing on the petition on the cheongwadae website. Sexual assault occurs far too often and that’s why any misogynistic attitudes contributing to this toxic culture should stop to prevent issues like this one.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be doing these things; of course you should. Sexual crimes like this should absolutely be prevented so there aren’t more women who feel scared and vulnerable. I’m just saying that simply raising awareness about this singular incident won’t do much for future problems waiting to arise. Rather than just showing superficial support online, you should reflect on how you might have contributed to this toxic culture and address them. Take small steps to address the everyday misogyny that you notice. Here are some of the things I’ve noticed that you could try doing:
Try to stop using words with sexual innuendos (dick, pussy, etc.)
Recognize and address your internalized misogyny. That could be judging a girl for wearing something ‘revealing’, using phrases like ‘like a girl’ or ‘man up’, etc.
Call out people who express misogynistic ideals! Don’t be silent!
For more information on the nth room case, visit:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B993ErTnhwi/?igshid=17m452iy0cw84
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Q8NQJJu3F/?igshid=1wbflvi3n1kg9
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-HIad6lE2c/?igshid=in255ckhmijf