A counseling clinic for migrant women is slated to open Friday in Incheon, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Wednesday.

The clinic will provide legal, medical and psychological counseling services to migrant women who are victims of domestic violence and sex crimes and other crimes, according to the ministry. 

The services will be provided in Korean as well as the native language of the client by in-house interpreters at the clinic or via the ministry-operated hotline for migrant women: 1577-1366.

For clients who are in unsafe conditions, the clinic will arrange for them to stay at local women’s shelters.

The Incheon clinic is the third such facility to open, following one that opened in Daegu in June and another that opened in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, in July.

The Gender Equality Ministry said an additional clinic is scheduled to open in August in South Jeolla Province.

“When migrant women fall victims to crimes, the situation can lead to a lot of legal complications, especially with regards to their stay in Korea,” said the ministry’s women’s rights bureau chief Hwang Yoon-jeong. “The clinic will offer specialized assistance needed to help protect rights of migrant women in such circumstances.”

By Kim Arin (arin@heraldcorp.com)