[How Is Your Dream] Can You Protect a Child Born with Difficulty?

Over 30,000 Child Abuse Cases Judged in 2019
2.5 Times Increase Compared to 2015

12% Neglect Cases Among Court Filings
Lenient Punishments Lower Awareness

Health Checkups Should Be Used for Early Detection

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Kim Jung-in (32), a working mom raising a 2-year-old son, alternates between entrusting her child to her parents and her in-laws. Feeling guilty about being a burden, she is looking for a place to leave her child, but whenever she hears news about abuse by daycare teachers or babysitters, anxiety immediately takes over. Kim said, "Honestly, I worry that if I leave my child with someone else, my child might also be abused," adding, "Until my child grows up, I think I have no choice but to rely on my parents and in-laws." Park Jin-gyu (31), father of two children aged 4 and 2, also said, "Whenever news about child abuse comes out, the parenting-related KakaoTalk group chat becomes noisy," and "Every time this uncomfortable topic comes up, my worries about my child's safety increase."

Every time news of child abuse is heard, parents raising children breathe a sigh of relief. Children born overcoming the reality of low birth rates are cherished and raised with great care, but parents fear their children might become victims of abuse. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ‘2019 Major Child Abuse Statistics,’ the number of child abuse cases judged in 2019 was 30,045. This is a 22% increase from the previous year (24,604 cases) and a 156% increase compared to 2015 (11,715 cases).

Too Light Punishments Fuel Abuse

When child abuse occurs, public opinion demands strict punishment for perpetrators. The punishment level for child abuse offenders is low, leading to a lack of deterrence. According to the Supreme Court, among 267 cases filed nationwide in 2019 for violating the Child Abuse Punishment Act, only 33 cases (12%) resulted in imprisonment. Suspended sentences were given in 96 cases, about three times more than actual prison sentences. For example, Kim (58), a babysitter in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, who abused a 14-month-old child 34 times over 15 days, including slapping the child for not eating, was sentenced to one year in prison in the first trial but received a one-year prison sentence with a two-year suspended sentence on appeal.

Overseas, child abuse is dealt with severely. Sweden imposes heavy punishments such as up to 10 years in prison for child abuse offenders. In France, if a child dies due to abuse, the offender faces more than 30 years in prison, and if the child is disabled, more than 20 years. Professor Lim Myeong-ho of Dankook University’s Department of Psychology explained, "Children tend to feel resignation and frustration along with trauma rather than anger when abused, making them easy targets for abuse," adding, "A social atmosphere that strictly punishes child abuse must be established to eradicate such crimes."

Early Detection: The Shortcut to Preventing Child Abuse

To rescue children suffering from abuse, early detection of abuse is crucial. Since children who are poor at expressing themselves find it difficult to report abuse, reports from medical professionals or childcare workers are essential. The government recently introduced measures to add pharmacists and foster parents to the list of mandatory reporters to detect child abuse early. This was in consideration of frequent cases where abusers treated children at pharmacies.

There are also calls to utilize the infant and toddler health checkup system for early detection. The system conducts eight checkups from 14 days to 71 months of age, during which mandatory reporters such as doctors could identify signs of abuse. Professor Jung Ik-jung of Ewha Womans University’s Department of Social Welfare said, "Currently, the infant and toddler health checkup does not include items to assess child abuse," adding, "If related items are added and education is provided, child abuse could be detected early." However, since these health checkups are not mandatory, improvements are needed to detect child abuse early. The majority of child abuse perpetrators are parents. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, abuse by parents accounted for 75.6% of all child abuse cases in 2019. The reason parents turn into abusers lies in social structural problems. Difficult social and economic environments for raising children lead to parenting burdens. It is pointed out that child abuse can occur when raising children under financially strained circumstances.

Flood of Measures Must Not Become Empty Words

As abuse by parents becomes frequent, the political sphere has moved to amend the Civil Act to delete parental disciplinary rights and ban corporal punishment. Article 915 of the Civil Act states, "Parents may discipline their children as necessary for protection or education and may entrust them to correctional institutions with court approval." This clause has allowed corporal punishment under the name of discipline, sometimes resulting in abuse.

Following the recent social outrage over the ‘Jung-in case,’ various prevention measures such as mandatory separation of abusers and children and additional placement of child abuse dedicated officials are being announced daily. Experts point out the urgent need for comprehensive child abuse countermeasures rather than fragmented, temporary fixes addressing only current issues. Professor Park Eun-ha of Yongin University’s Department of Social Welfare explained, "There is an absolute shortage of child abuse dedicated officials, many of whom work night shifts and are deployed to the field without proper training," adding, "There is also a shortage of shelters for abused children." She continued, "It is necessary to prepare measures to prevent child abuse from a long-term perspective that helps abused children recover healthily after being separated from the abuser."

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