Jongno-gu Conducts 'Visiting Child Rights Education'

Contributing to Raising Awareness of Children's Rights and Fostering a Community Atmosphere of Mutual Respect Between Children and Adults

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] UNICEF Child-Friendly City Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) is conducting the '2020 Visiting Child Rights Education' to create a city where children are happy and a community good for raising children.

This program is designed to form a desirable perspective on children and spread an atmosphere of mutual respect between children and adults within the community. It is conducted from March to December targeting parents and community stakeholders who have close relationships with children but lack opportunities for education on child rights, as well as those responsible for fulfilling child rights obligations.

Unlike traditional group education, Jongno-gu adopts a visiting approach tailored to various professions, aligning with related job (refresher) training or meeting schedules. This addresses the limitation that residents working in diverse fields find it difficult to participate in conventional group education due to their working conditions. It is expected to play a significant role in promoting child rights within the community in the future.

On March 2nd, the first education session of the year was held for the Safe Return Home Scout members active in the district. The session received positive feedback by providing customized education not only on understanding child rights but also on ways the members can directly promote child rights during their duties.

From April to December, education will be provided to alleyway guides, district office employees, child-related workers, and child-related organizations. However, the schedule may change to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Jongno-gu obtained UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification in August 2017 and was recognized as a city good for children under 18. It was the first local government nationwide to open a specialized performance hall for children, the 'Idul Theater,' in 2016. It also operates the '365 Jongno Creative Bus' to utilize the rich historical and cultural infrastructure in the area and the 'Jongno-gu Children’s Choir,' a representative cultural delegation communicating with local residents.

Additionally, Jongno-gu has consistently provided opportunities for children to participate in community decision-making and has made various efforts to ensure a safe environment where children can live with peace of mind, such as expanding CCTV installation and promoting Child-Friendly Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) to support children’s health and happy lives.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We have implemented child rights education to foster a culture of respecting children’s human rights and to establish the characteristics of a child-friendly city where we live together.” He added, “As a UNICEF-designated Child-Friendly City guaranteeing children’s participation and rights, Jongno-gu will integrate and implement child-friendly policies across all areas of district administration so that all children can grow up healthy and happy.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.