Geochang-gun Conducts Comprehensive Survey to Prevent Abuse and Protect Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Targeting 547 Registered Individuals with Intellectual, Autism, and Mental Disabilities in the County

Geochang County Office building exterior (Photo by Geochang County)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Recently, following the exploitation case of intellectually disabled individuals at a fish cage farm in Tongyeong, issues regarding abuse and human rights of disabled people have been raised.

On the 27th, Geochang County in Gyeongnam announced that it will conduct a “comprehensive survey for the prevention of abuse and protection of human rights of disabled persons” targeting 547 registered individuals with intellectual, autism, and mental disabilities within the county.

During the survey period, reporting centers will be established in towns and townships to receive reports of abuse and human rights violations against disabled persons until August 31.

The county plans to identify disabled individuals in human rights blind spots through telephone verification surveys with disabled persons and their families, accompanied visits with village heads if absent, and suspicion investigations targeting those suspected of human rights violations and long-term non-residents.

Gu In-mo, the mayor of Geochang County, urged, “Through this survey, I hope the residents will pay attention to their disabled neighbors to prevent abuse and human rights violations. If you suspect any cases of abuse or harm, please do not hesitate to report to the town or township office.”

Meanwhile, the county plans to refer disabled individuals suspected of human rights violations found during the survey to the responsible police station and disability rights advocacy organizations, arrange family handover and return, or provide necessary services such as welfare benefits through counseling.

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