The Cause of Child Abuse in Republic of KOREA and Search of Solution: Focused on the CRIME

The Cause of Child Abuse in Republic of KOREA and Search of Solution: Focused on the CRIME

This paper is for seeking a solution to establish a combined supporting system for child abuse prevention based on cause of child abuse and post management system. Child abuse occurs in various places such as home, kindergarten, school, and child caring center but 80% of child abuse occurs in homes, therefore, it is more harmful than other crimes. Furthermore, the problem is that forms of child abuse by parents are becoming various and the severity and the damage from child abuse is be-coming more cruelly serious than before. According to child abuse cases which have been reported more than once, total 6,332 child abuse cases were reported to child protective services for last decade. 20 child abuse cases reported in 2001 rose to 1,262 in 2010 so the number of cases reported is constantly increasing compared to consulting reports. The number of child abuse cases reported in child protection centers across the nation were 9,199 in 2010, 10,146 in 2011, 10,943 in 2012, 13,076 in 2013, and 17,791 in 2014. The number of child abuse reported in 2014 increased up to 36% compared to 2013. The reason for this surge is that as many people became interest-ed in child abuse through child abuse death occurred in Woolsan in 2013 and Incheon kindergarten’s child vio-lence case occurred in January, 2015, the number of reports increased. Among the cases reported in 2014, the number of suspected child abuse cases including emergency cases were 15,025 which is 84.5%. Among the sus-pected child abuse cases, the number of actual child abuse cases were 10,027 which is 66.7%. Based on the statistical data, the number of child abuse crimes occurred in a year is almost 10,000 which is a very serious problem. Child protection service needs to play a major role for solving child abuse and establishment and utilization of various connection of local community with many other related institutions and cooperation are required in stages. Firstly, establishment of supporting system with law enforcement agencies is required. Secondly, establishment of supporting system by a medical center is required. Thirdly, supporting system with educational institutions is necessary. Teachers in daycare center, kindergar-ten, elementary, junior high, and high school have a responsibility to detect child abuse in the early stage and report child abuse to child protection center. Also, if necessary, teachers identify existence of child abuse through consultation with the victim’s family and provide education for parents. Fourthly, supporting system with administrational organizations needs to be built up. Administrational or-ganizations requiring an establishment of supporting system include Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, provinces and metropolitan areas, municipal governments, sexual abuse prevention and protection of victim of the Ministry of Gender Equality. Fifthly, establishment of supporting system with private sectors is required. The role of private sectors is to actively participate in child abuse judgement committee and volunteer workers in various professional fields provide music therapy, art therapy, and play therapy to child abuse victims. Finally, establishment of supporting system for child abuse prevention needs to be made in a level of prov-ince and metropolitan city. Based on child protection centers built in metropolitan cities, supporting system combined with law enforcement agencies, medical centers, educational institutions, administrational organiza-tion, social welfare centers, private sectors need to be built up and utilized.