아동학대보호체계의 변화와 개선방안

Changes and Improvement Plans for Child Abuse Protection Systems

Child abuse in Korea received little attention until a child died after suffering from child abuse atthe hands of her stepmother. Civil agencies related to child welfare organized a fact-findingcommittee to investigate the child’s death, and analyzed the protection system of child abuse toidentify systemic problems and address them. Finally, the committee submitted a report thatindicated the problems of the protection system for child abuse and suggested counterplans toimprove upon the current protection systems. The government legislated the exemption law, “Act ofthe Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes” against child abuse and announced total service planagainst child abuse. However, it remains to be seen how the government’s policies will be effectivefor child abuse issues because of the lack of service infrastructure for child abuse protectionsystems.