I have to do what I’m told by my company, because if I don’t, they’ll release me."
This is the reason why trainees can’t call the police, even if they are mistreated by entertainment companies. On September 18th, E News released an investigative report focusing on the mistreatment of trainees at XX Entertainment (company name obscured for trainee safety).
The ex-trainees revealed on camera the horrific sexual acts they were forced to perform, and the times they were raped by XX Entertainment’s CEO.
The issues of trainees being forced into sexual favors quickly became an issue when Individual X was charged with rape and sexual harassment and sentenced. In the report, E News reveals they were "shocked to find out 2 members out of the 5 were raped since their early teens."
The program interviewed one ex-trainee who dreamt of becoming an idol. He confessed to E News saying, "They rented a room to drink for one of the staff members birthday and had a male trainee perform strip shows while girls poured drinks on him and touched him inappropriately."
He went on to explain the reason he didn’t turn down any inappropriate or sexual requests were because he was afraid. ”I have to do what I’m told by my company, and if I don’t they will release me. So all of us had no choice but to do it,” he continued.
The ex-trainee left his company after 2 years of sexual abuse revealing, "If we call the police, it will become a huge issue in the media and we don’t want that."
Not only are trainees afraid that they will be cut by the companies, they are also afraid of being outed to the public and having their identities revealed if they call the police.
When asked what was the final reason for leaving after 2 years, the ex-trainee revealed, “I quit after they began asking me for money onto of the sexual favors.”
Trainees who are underage (-18) are no exception either, the companies would talk about sexual matters in front of young trainees and make physical contact with them too. "Every week, our height and weight were tracked, and they would also check the girls’ private areas." (ex-Trainee B)
The companies atrocities don’t stop there, with the another ex-trainee (B) revealing more and more shocking details into the runnings of XX Entertainment. "One of my close unni who already debuted with a group that wasn’t too popular was asked to meet someone [from the company] and then returned the same day with face injuries wanting to commit suicide.”
The report ends there, which shows the sad reality of this disgusting underbelly of the entertainment industry. With trainees staying quiet in fear of their safety or companies continuing to get away with behavior like this, the industry will always have an unsafe side.
How do you think the industry can help to raise awareness on this issue and help those who have been already abused or even currently being abused?