Seoul City and Seoul Police Agency Collaborate Across Prevention to Response to Establish 'Joint Response System for Disability Abuse'

From April This Year, Rapid Response to Disability Abuse through Joint Practical Council Operation
Contributing to Prevention of Disability Abuse via Regular Joint Inspections of Disability Welfare Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 20th, to mark the Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, together with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will establish a ‘Joint Response System for the Prevention and Rapid Response to Abuse of Persons with Disabilities.’

This collaboration was promoted as both organizations recognized the need to establish a cooperative system among related agencies due to the continuous increase in reports of abuse against persons with disabilities and the growing social interest in the human rights of persons with disabilities.

The cooperation includes ▲ operation of a joint working-level council for responding to abuse of persons with disabilities ▲ joint inspections of human rights conditions at welfare facilities for persons with disabilities ▲ job training for police on on-site response to abuse of persons with disabilities ▲ and joint campaigns for abuse prevention.

First, Seoul will form and operate a joint working-level council to enhance the effectiveness of on-site response to abuse of persons with disabilities. The working-level council, consisting of members from Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, will perform roles such as immediate joint on-site response to abuse cases and setting policy directions related to abuse of persons with disabilities.

Joint inspections of welfare facilities for persons with disabilities will be regularized once a year to prevent abuse in these facilities in advance. Every year, Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and autonomous districts will jointly conduct on-site inspections to detect early signs of abuse and take necessary actions. Seoul currently conducts an annual full survey of welfare facilities for persons with disabilities in the Seoul area by facility type. This year, 138 vocational rehabilitation facilities for persons with disabilities are subject to inspection, and among them, some facilities with a history of abuse reports will be selected by the Disability Rights Advocacy Agency and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for a joint inspection scheduled for July this year.

Through job training on on-site response to abuse of persons with disabilities for police officers (APO), the plan is to improve police awareness of persons with disabilities and enhance their response capabilities at incident scenes involving persons with disabilities. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency will incorporate job training covering relevant laws, reference points by disability type, and precautions when responding to incidents involving persons with disabilities into the regular police training curriculum, with Seoul Metropolitan Government conducting the training in cooperation.

Additionally, a joint campaign for abuse prevention will be conducted to expand publicity related to reporting procedures for abuse and improving awareness of persons with disabilities. In particular, to commemorate the ‘International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ on December 3rd this year, abuse prevention content will be produced and jointly distributed through the online promotional channels of both organizations. A citizen participation event offering various prizes will also be held to increase public engagement.

Furthermore, Seoul will begin installing new shelters for abused children with disabilities to strengthen protection for those in blind spots. Until now, due to insufficient related laws, there were limitations in taking appropriate and urgent measures for abused children with disabilities. However, with the establishment of legal grounds for shelters for abused children with disabilities and the joint response system for abuse, efforts to expand infrastructure will be accelerated.

Ko Gwang-hyun, Director of the Disability Welfare Policy Division at Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, “Preventing abuse of persons with disabilities and protecting victims is a top priority task for Seoul.” He added, “Seoul will cooperate with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to establish a comprehensive response system that detects abuse risks early, protects victims, and prevents recurrence, doing its utmost to prevent abuse of persons with disabilities.”

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