"Protect the Human Rights of Students with Disabilities!"... Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Education Office, Appoints 292 Human Rights Support Group Members

The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) has appointed 292 members to the Disability Student Human Rights Support Group for each education support office for the 2024 academic year.

The ‘Disability Student Human Rights Support Group’ refers to an organization established within the Special Education Support Center of the education support office to protect the human rights of students with disabilities and prevent human rights violations, aiming to realize a happy school education for students.

A meeting of the 'Human Rights Support Group for Students with Disabilities' in the Gyeongbuk region is being held.

The Human Rights Support Group plays a leading role in discovering exemplary cases of human rights protection for students with disabilities and promoting human rights protection activities through regular on-site support and special support activities, and has been operating under the name ‘Disability Student Human Rights Support Group’ since 2017, previously known as the ‘Permanent Monitoring Group for the Protection of Human Rights of Students with Disabilities.’

The support group is composed of at least one person per field, with a minimum of eight essential members, including the head of the Special Education Support Center, educational supervisors, special education teachers, special school administrators, heads of women and youth investigation teams or women and youth divisions, sex education and counseling experts, and experts in the field of disability welfare.

However, if it is difficult to select experts in sex education and sexual violence prevention or counseling professionals within the region as committee members, health teachers or counselors from Wee Centers may be utilized.

The human rights support groups in Gyeongbuk Province consist of a total of 23 teams with 292 members: Pohang Education Support Office has two teams divided into southern and northern teams, and each of the other education support offices has one team. They will engage in activities to protect the human rights of students with disabilities and prevent human rights violations for one year.

Through regular on-site support, the group visits kindergartens or schools where students with disabilities are placed at least once a month to conduct support activities aimed at preventing human rights violations against students with disabilities. In case of incidents, special support activities are carried out based on an organic cooperation system with the school violence department, Sunflower Center, and the relevant police station, including support consultations for victimized students, special training support for schools, and counseling support.

Last year, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education organized a training session and inauguration ceremony for about 200 human rights support group members in the province, forming a cooperative network for the support group and providing opportunities for information sharing. This year, a training session for all human rights support group members in the province is planned to be held in May.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, stated, “By fulfilling the role of human rights guardians for students with disabilities in the region, the Gyeongbuk Disability Student Human Rights Support Group will protect the human rights of students with disabilities and ensure that they can enjoy a happy school life. We will spare no administrative and financial support to achieve this.”

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