Gwangju City Launches "Child-Friendliness Survey Research Project" for UNICEF Child-Friendly City Re-Certification

On August 11, Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province held a kickoff meeting for the "Gwangju City Child-Friendly Survey Research Project" as part of the preliminary work to re-certify as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City and to establish effective child policies.

Gwangju City held a kickoff meeting on the 11th for the "Gwangju City Child-Friendly Survey Research Project" as part of the preliminary work to re-certify as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City and to establish effective child policies. Provided by Gyeonggi Gwangju City

The purpose of this research project is to comprehensively assess the community environment and quality of life from the perspective of children, and to use these findings to redefine the direction and priorities of future child policies.

The meeting was attended by officials, including the head of the Child Care Division of Gwangju City, as well as researchers. They discussed specific matters such as the direction of the child-friendliness survey, survey design and schedule, and methods for ensuring child participation.

Through this research, the city aims to guarantee the substantive rights of children and to establish child-centered policies. The project will include a standard child-friendliness survey targeting children, guardians, and education and care professionals, as well as a public opinion survey of citizens.

The survey will cover six key areas: play and leisure, participation and respect, safety and protection, health and welfare, educational environment, and family environment. The data collected will serve as core resources for the formulation of future child policies.

This survey is designed as a "participation-based survey" that goes beyond simple data collection to reflect the real voices of children and citizens. The city plans to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, laying a systematic foundation for both the development of practical policies and projects, and for the re-certification as a UNICEF Child-Friendly City.

Mayor Bang Se-hwan stated, "We must find the clues for policy in the small voices of children in their daily lives," and added, "We will thoroughly prepare to ensure that this survey does not remain a mere formality, but leads to policies that bring real change to children's lives."

Meanwhile, since 2019, the city has been making continuous efforts to establish an institutional foundation for becoming a child-friendly city. Through various activities such as revising related ordinances, forming a steering committee, appointing child rights advocates, and implementing rights education, Gwangju City received UNICEF Child-Friendly City certification from the Korean Committee for UNICEF in December 2022.

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