Gwanak-gu Provides Self-Defense and Safety Equipment Training for Social Welfare Workers

Social Welfare Workers to Receive Self-Defense and Safety Training to Respond to Violence and Crime

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is taking steps to create a safe working environment for social welfare workers who frequently visit the homes of welfare recipients in person, amid the recent rise of serious crimes becoming a social issue.

The district held a "Safety Training for Visiting Counselors" on August 31st to enhance emergency response capabilities for social welfare workers, ensuring they are not exposed to dangerous situations.

The training was attended by about 100 participants, including welfare planners, care managers, visiting nurses, and case managers. It consisted of two parts: theoretical education on self-protection methods such as visiting safety rules, and practical self-defense training.

In particular, during the self-defense training, instructor Ko Jae-kyung, an education committee member of the Korea Women’s Taekwondo Federation, demonstrated practical self-defense techniques and the use of self-defense tools, receiving enthusiastic responses from the participants.

A female participant shared her thoughts, saying, “Sometimes when I visit a man’s home alone, I tend to conduct consultations passively out of caution. I hope this kind of practical training will be held regularly in the future.”

Additionally, the district plans to distribute self-defense alarms (touch sound devices) to welfare planners in each neighborhood, which can immediately alert others and summon police assistance in emergencies, making every effort to ensure the safety of social welfare workers.

Meanwhile, to provide a safe working environment for social welfare workers, the district is implementing various measures such as installing CCTV and emergency bells in government buildings, introducing portable protective equipment (wearable cameras), and establishing legal support plans to respond to illegal acts by clients.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “Social welfare workers may be placed in a ‘safety blind spot’ due to assaults occurring during consultations and the social atmosphere demanding volunteer spirit. The issue of protecting their human rights affects the quality of social services provided to residents, so we will continue to strive to protect the safety and human rights of these workers.”

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