‘Haebaragi Center’ Established in Hongseong, Chungnam... "Protecting Socially Vulnerable Groups in the Southwest Region"

Chungnam Province will establish a Sunflower Center in Hongseong to strengthen the protection of socially vulnerable groups in the southwestern region.

According to Chungnam Province on the 21st, the Sunflower Center will provide services such as 24/7 counseling, medical, legal, and investigative support for victims of sexual violence and domestic violence.

Currently, there is one Sunflower Center operating in Cheonan, Chungnam. Because of this, residents in the southwestern region have had to travel long distances to use Sunflower Centers in nearby areas such as Jeonbuk, making it difficult to receive prompt relief services.

In response, Chungnam Province plans to establish the "Chungnam Southwestern Sunflower Center" at Hongseong Medical Center within this year and begin full support services starting January next year.

Once the Sunflower Center is established at Hongseong Medical Center, specialized support teams including psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency medical centers within the medical center will diagnose and treat victims. Additionally, the center will coordinate with local related organizations to provide psychological stabilization measures and legal support.

Chungnam Province will also expand support for emergency shelters to protect victims who need urgent separation due to domestic violence and other issues.

Among the nine emergency shelters currently operating in Chungnam, only two facilities receive provincial funding: the women's emergency hotline "1366 Chungnam Center (Gongju)" and the "Cheonan Disabled Sexual Violence Counseling Center (Cheonan)" for disabled protection.

However, starting in the second half of this year, operational costs and personnel expenses will also be supported for seven emergency shelters operated by cities and counties.

Through this, Chungnam Province aims to address the issue of varying levels of support services caused by different operational methods at each emergency shelter, ensuring that Chungnam Province and local governments provide victims with uniform levels of support services.

In addition, considering the recent increase in new types of sexual crimes using advanced digital technology and the growing need for regional-level responses, Chungnam Province is also reviewing the operation of an integrated digital sexual violence support center for victim prevention and assistance.

Once the digital sexual crime specialized counseling center is operational, it will cooperate with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (Digital Sexual Crime Victim Support Center) and Chungnam Provincial Police Agency to monitor illegal videos regularly and support the prompt deletion of related videos.

Kim Beom-su, Director of the Women and Family Policy Division of Chungnam Province, said, “We expect that the establishment of the Hongseong Sunflower Center will strengthen customized administrative support for victims of sexual and domestic violence in the southwestern region.” He added, “We will solidify protection and support systems so that socially vulnerable groups do not suffer unjust harm and can quickly return to their daily lives.”

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