12-Year-Old Brother Who Died from Abuse... Two Younger Sisters Left Behind Also 'At Risk'

"Psychological Treatment Needed for Children Surviving Child Abuse"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] The case of 12-year-old boy A, who died due to abuse by his biological father and stepmother, has sparked outrage among many citizens. Although it is known that the couple's biological children were not subjected to violence, the two younger sisters who witnessed their older brother A being abused are also likely to suffer from trauma.

After the parents' divorce in 2018, custody of A was granted to his biological father. Subsequently, the biological father raised A together with his two daughters born from his remarriage to Ms. B. A appears to have suffered severe discrimination within the family, being ostracized like an outcast because he was the son of the father's previous wife. Several neighbors told the media, "The two biological daughters seemed to have a good relationship with their parents, but A used honorifics toward his biological father and stepmother and did not seem to get along well with the family."

A was brought to the hospital emergency room and died on the 7th. Although the biological father and stepmother denied the abuse, multiple bruises caused by external trauma were found all over A's body, and his weight was only 30 kg, far below the average of 46 kg for his age group, raising suspicions of abuse. The police have applied for arrest warrants for the biological father and stepmother, who were urgently detained on suspicion of abusing A to death, and plan to continue the investigation.

[Image source=Pixabay]

However, experts analyze that the two biological daughters were also likely subjected to emotional abuse. Gong Hye-jung, president of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, explained on June 9 on CBS Radio's Kim Hyun-jung's News Show, "The two younger sisters were also likely exposed to emotional abuse as their older brother was subjected to child abuse."

President Gong emphasized the need for psychological treatment and support for the two remaining younger sisters. He said, "They saw their older brother being abused, their brother died, and their parents were arrested. Also, the two daughters were moved to an unfamiliar facility rather than staying at home, so treatment and support for these children are absolutely necessary."

In the 2020 "Jung-in case," which raised awareness of child abuse in our society, the biological daughter C of the adoptive mother Jang, who was the perpetrator, was also at risk of child abuse. When the 16-month-old adopted infant Jung-in was abused and unable to attend daycare for two months, the adoptive parents sent C to daycare. This suggests that the adoptive parents may have raised their biological daughter and Jung-in differently.

At the trial, the adoptive parents claimed they disciplined Jung-in by hitting her and treated their biological daughter C the same way, seeking leniency. It was also reported that citizens outraged by the residence of adoptive father Ahn and C visited and hurled insults.

In this process, C may also have been exposed to emotional abuse. Regardless of whether physical violence occurred, there is a high possibility that she experienced trauma by witnessing her younger sister Jung-in being abused and her parents being criticized during the period when attachment relationships with her parents were forming.

The paper "How Are Surviving Siblings of Child Abuse Death Cases Protected?" (Jung Ik-jung et al., 2021), published in Volume 52, Issue 4 of Social Welfare Research, emphasizes that surviving siblings of abused children who died should also be recognized as 'victims of abuse' and protected more actively. Children who witness the death or abuse of siblings can suffer severe trauma and are likely to have been in abusive or neglectful situations alongside the deceased child.

The paper points out, "Surviving siblings are likely to have shared multiple adverse environments such as poverty, domestic violence, family breakdown, abuse, and neglect with the deceased child," and "Families experiencing child abuse death cases are often so preoccupied with coping with the child's death that the family may break down or fall into another crisis, making it difficult for surviving children to receive full attention and affection from their parents."

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