Osan-si Launches 'Children's Council' for Child Participation in Municipal Administration

Reflecting Children's Voices in City Governance

Osan City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 29th that it held the inauguration ceremony for the "8th Osan City Children's Council" at the Sorilul Library Atrium on the 27th and will begin full-scale operations.

At the '8th Osan City Children's Council Inauguration Ceremony' held at Osan Soriul Library, child council members are holding up their appointment certificates. [Photo by Osan City]

Operating since 2017, the Osan City Children's Council is a participatory body aimed at reflecting children's voices in city administration. Its roles include ▲proposing child-related policies ▲planning child-led festivals ▲conducting campaigns to advocate for children's rights.

Composed of 54 children under the age of 19 selected through various methods such as open recruitment and school principal recommendations, the Children's Council will engage in diverse city administration participation activities from August until June of next year. This year, the city explained that the recruitment will be expanded to include lower-grade elementary school students to reflect the voices of children from various age groups.

The Children's Council is divided into four standing committees: ▲Planning and Public Relations ▲Welfare and Education ▲Culture and Sports ▲Safety and Environment, participating in small group meetings and general assemblies.

Lee Gwon-jae, Mayor of Osan City, said, "We expect active participation in city administration so that children's voices can be reflected in various policies," adding, "We will actively support the Children's Council to contribute to overall city administration participation activities and leadership development."

Meanwhile, at the inauguration ceremony, the city also conducted a campaign to raise awareness and prevent child abuse together with members of the Osan City Child Committee Council. The campaign provided information on awareness improvement and reporting procedures for the prevention of child abuse.

The city plans to continue campaigns regularly through monthly "Visiting Child Abuse Prevention Campaigns," youth festivals, and Child Abuse Prevention Weeks.

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