SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean refugees say sexual violence against women in their former homeland was routine. A new report suggests there's little chance that abused women in the North will get to say "MeToo" anytime soon.

Human Rights Watch published a report on the issue based on interviews with 106 North Koreans who left their country. It found many North Korean women feel powerless to demand accountability and are ashamed of being abused. Some keep silent because of flimsy law enforcement and support systems.

Three women who left North Korea and three South Korean experts told The Associated Press in separate interviews that sexual violence was a serious problem in the North even though women have gained a voice and economic power in recent years by participating in new capitalist-style markets.