Local Governments, "We Will Not Neglect a Single Child" Strengthen Response to Child Abuse

Special Act Enforcement, Transfer of Child Protection Case Management to Local Governments

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Recently, as cases of child abuse have been occurring nationwide, drawing attention as a social issue, local governments are strengthening their child abuse response systems by establishing departments dedicated to handling child abuse issues.

Wonju City announced on the 23rd that "following the enforcement of the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, the responsibilities for investigating child abuse and managing cases of protected children, which were previously handled by the private sector, have been transferred to local governments."

According to the city, there were 404 reports of child abuse in the Wonju area last year.

The Child Protection Task Force team consists of two public officials dedicated to abuse investigations and two child protection specialists, responsible for establishing child protection plans and conducting follow-up management.

In particular, until additional abuse investigation public officials and child protection specialists are assigned in the second half of this year, the plan is to maintain seamless cooperation with child protection agencies to ensure that child abuse investigation work is not disrupted.

The Gangwon Western Child Protection Agency, which previously handled child abuse investigations, will now focus on preventing re-abuse through treatment of victimized children and strengthening education for abusers, as well as supporting affected families.

Earlier, Yeoju City in Gyeonggi Province also improved its child protection system by promoting thorough investigations of reported child abuse cases.

In October last year, the city established a Child Protection Team within the Women and Family Division of the Happiness Support Bureau, where two public officials dedicated to child abuse and two child protection specialists are responsible for investigating child abuse cases.

Last year, there were a total of 66 reported child abuse cases in the Yeoju area, and investigations that were previously handled by external protection agencies are now conducted directly by the city and the police together.

Mayor Lee Hang-jin of Yeoju City stated, "To prevent child abuse, it is important to quickly identify children suffering from abuse," and urged the public to immediately report any suspected cases of child abuse upon discovery.

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