Promotion of Human Rights Protection Project for Children Admitted to Facilities in Dongjak-gu

Human Rights Survey of 122 Children in Residential Facilities, Psychological Treatment Support Provided if Human Rights Violations Confirmed

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) is promoting the ‘Facility-Admitted Children Human Rights Protection Project Dodam Dodam’ to strengthen sensitivity to the human rights of children admitted to facilities.

Children admitted to facilities are a vulnerable protection group whose survival rights and protection rights must be prioritized, including children without guardians, those abused by guardians, or those difficult to protect within the family. This project is being promoted to proactively prevent abuse and other issues.

The main contents include ▲a survey on the actual conditions of children’s human rights ▲holding meetings with facility workers to strengthen sensitivity to children’s human rights ▲self-diagnosis of gender sensitivity to prevent sexual harassment and sexual abuse within facilities ▲education to prevent violations of children’s human rights, and more.

First, by July, child protection officers will visit four child care facilities and two group homes, surveying 122 children on the actual conditions of children’s human rights.

The survey questionnaire was jointly created by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Child Rights Advocacy.

The survey covers eight items including ▲physical abuse ▲psychological abuse ▲sexual abuse ▲life in the facility (medical care, safety, academics), and is composed of content covering the overall human rights of children admitted to facilities.

Based on the analysis results, if human rights violations are confirmed, the district will establish a protection and support system such as psychological counseling support for the affected children and admission to other facilities, strengthening protection and support measures. If necessary, the district’s dedicated child abuse officer will intervene directly to investigate abuse and request a child abuse investigation by the police.

Additionally, through non-face-to-face meetings with workers at child care facilities (group homes), the results of the children’s human rights survey will be shared, and measures to strengthen sensitivity to children’s human rights in areas such as physical, psychological, sexual, and daily life will be discussed and reflected in Dongjak-gu’s child safety network enhancement project.

Education on the concept of human rights, cases of rights violations and abuse, and prevention of children’s human rights violations will be provided to human rights experts, facility heads, and workers within the facilities. Facility workers will also conduct self-diagnosis of gender sensitivity to prevent sexual harassment and sexual abuse within the facilities.

Meanwhile, the district is focusing administrative efforts on preventing child abuse. Since November last year, it has enacted ordinances and assigned dedicated personnel for child abuse. Monthly meetings of the Dongjak-gu Child Abuse Response Information Linkage Council, attended by local police stations, education support offices, and child protection agencies, are held to discuss various cooperation measures for child protection and support, including sharing information on abused or at-risk children.

Jooil Park, Head of the Child and Youth Division, said, “We will fulfill our public responsibility to safely protect children admitted to facilities from crisis situations such as abuse and neglect and prevent child abuse,” adding, “We ask for observation and interest not only for our own children but for all children.”

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