"Can't the teacher even give a morning call?" Reported to the Education Office by phone

Over 1,300 Teacher Accusations of 'Child Abuse' in 5 Years
Random Reports... More Than Half Result in No Charges or Prosecution

The death of a teacher at Seo-i Elementary School in Seocho-gu, Seoul has brought renewed attention to the fact that teachers are suffering hardships such as being accused of child abuse based solely on suspicion.

Many Child Abuse Accusations... Over Half Result in 'Police Closure or Non-Prosecution'

On the 23rd, a teacher in the Gyeonggi area posted on social networking services (SNS) that they were collecting cases of educational activity infringements experienced by teachers. As of 1 p.m. that day, over 1,400 posts had been uploaded.

One teacher shared a case, saying, "A parent asked, 'How about the teacher giving a morning call every day?' and when this was refused, the parent called the education office saying, 'How can the teacher do that?'" highlighting excessive complaints from some parents.

Analyzing data released by the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union in March shows that over the past five years (2018?2022), there have been 1,252 cases where teachers were accused or reported for child abuse and investigated.

Among these, 676 cases (53.9%) were closed by the police or resulted in non-prosecution. This is more than half.

Compared to the overall child abuse investigation cases where 14.9% were closed by the police or resulted in non-prosecution, it is clear that the rate of closure or non-prosecution for teachers accused of child abuse is much higher.

Experts express concern that the law, which was created to prevent and eradicate child abuse crimes through prompt reporting, investigation, and strict punishment, is likely being 'abused' in the educational field.

Article 10 of the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes states, "Anyone who becomes aware of a child abuse crime or suspects it may report it."

Since reporting is possible based on suspicion alone, even if a final decision of no charges is made, the accuser or reporter cannot be punished for false accusation.

Because of this, teachers are helpless against the overuse of child abuse reports.

There is another problem. When a child abuse report is made, it takes several months or more for the case to be closed through police investigation and prosecution, causing psychological burden and stress.

In fact, many teachers have shared cases of experiencing severe stress and receiving psychiatric treatment during investigations after being accused of child abuse.

For these reasons, proper behavioral guidance often cannot be carried out in schools.

Urgent Legal and Institutional Remedies Needed... 'Change in Awareness' Also Crucial

Participants are shouting slogans at a memorial service held near Bosingak in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd, related to the teacher death incident that occurred at an elementary school in Seocho-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The National Council of Superintendents of Education recently pointed out in a resolution that depriving teachers of their educational rights based solely on suspicion, regardless of whether child abuse actually occurred, is problematic.

The council stated, "Legal measures are being indiscriminately expanded and applied to schools, hindering education and learning among school members," and argued that "legal amendments are needed to improve the handling of child abuse cases within schools."

They added, "Related laws need to be revised to allow separation and treatment measures for students who require emotional treatment and healing," emphasizing that "teachers must be respected as the most important agents of education."

The Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations says that measures to practically guarantee teachers' authority in student guidance are urgently needed.

Although the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed at the end of last December and the clause on 'legitimate student guidance according to teachers' laws and school regulations' was established from the 28th of last month, concerns among teachers due to threats of reports from some overzealous parents and students still remain.

The federation emphasized, "To guarantee legitimate guidance, a clause must be established to protect teachers from malicious reports."

While institutional and legal improvements are necessary, voices calling for a 'more important change in parents' awareness' are also strong.

Hwang Bom-i, Director of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau at the Gyeonggi Teachers' Union, said, "In foreign cases, when student problems occur at school, there is a strong perception that the basic responsibility for character education lies with the parents," adding, "In Korea, the structure is such that one teacher is responsible for everything."

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