A Horrifying Look Into North Korea

"Tales from North Korean defectors have for years offered small glimpses into the brutal circumstances inside Pyonyang's prison camps. While information about the nature and scope of these abuses is sparse, enough stories have leaked from the air-tight regime to make it clear that the regime is abusing its citizens.

"But only this week, for the first time in history, has the international community responded with a formal United Nations investigation into the abuses. A UN Commission of Inquiry is officially hearing testimony from victims this week. And, while its findings of widespread abuse may not be surprising and options for meaningful response to stop the abuses are slim, the platform offers a step in the right direction as a rare stage to put a spotlight on the abuse.

"A female North Korean, Jee Heon-a, testified that women in particular have been brutalized and sexually exploited, some suffering forced miscarriages through beatings "and other forms of torture" from guards at detention facilities. In another harrowing example of the brutality, she recounted a gruesome tale in which a woman was forced to drown her own baby.

"We toiled as bid and ate what they gave us, we took their beating and starved when they didn't give us anything," said Shin, who escaped in 2005. "We were expendables they were keeping as beasts of labor, to get the most out of us before we die."

Read more at PolicyMic: http://www.policymic.com/articles/60401/inside-the-un-s-horrifying-look-into-north-korea