North Korea women have plenty of reasons to say ’MeToo

SEOUL — North Korean refugees say sexual violence against women in their former homeland is part of daily life. But a new report suggests there’s little chance that abused women in the North will get to say “MeToo” anytime soon.

North Korea’s extremely patriarchal society means many women feel powerless to demand accountability over sexual violence, many are also ashamed of being bused, and some choose to keep silent because of flimsy law enforcement and support systems, according to a report published Thursday by New York-based Human Rights Watch based on interviews with 106 North Koreans who left the country, more than half of them after 2011.