"Children Will Die If Sent Home" Public Outcry Grows Over Repeated 'Child Abuse' Crimes

'Travel Bag Confinement Incident' and 'Changnyeong Girl Abuse' Among Consecutive Crimes Against Children
In 2018, 82% of Over 24,600 Child Abuse Reports Were 'Returned to Families'

A female child abuse victim in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam. Photo by Channel A 'News A' capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] "Please do not send that child back home.", "If you believe the half-hearted abusers and send the child back home, the abused child will be in serious trouble."

Following the recent case where a 9-year-old boy died after being locked in a travel suitcase by his stepmother, a 9-year-old girl was found covered in bruises in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, raising serious concerns about child abuse.

According to the child abuse statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Central Child Protection Agency on the 8th, among the 24,604 abuse cases reported in 2018, 82% (20,164 cases) of the abused children returned to the abusive homes. Only 13.4% (3,276 cases) were separated from their homes by being admitted to shelters where they could receive counseling, treatment, and education.

Some point out that due to the 'Original Family Protection System,' most abused children inevitably return to their homes. Even if abuse is confirmed, under the 'Original Family Protection System,' the abused child can be protected in the original home where the abuser resides.

The deceased boy, A (9), who was locked in a travel suitcase, was reportedly abused by his biological father and the father's cohabiting partner since October last year. According to the police, A was treated at a hospital on the 5th of last month for a head injury. Medical staff suspected child abuse after seeing the wounds on A's body and reported it to the police. However, since A did not express a desire to live apart from his biological father, no separation measures were taken.

A 9-year-old boy trapped in a suitcase by his stepmother in her 40s was transported by 119 emergency services on the 1st, a scene captured on the apartment's closed-circuit television (CCTV). Photo by Yonhap News

When it became known that the deceased boy A had been reported as a child abuse victim during his lifetime, netizens could not hide their anger.

Netizens on online communities and social networking services (SNS) responded with comments such as, "This could have been prevented in advance, but the protection agency failed to function properly and led a child to death," "Even if the child did not want to, the abused child should have been separated from the abusive parents and protected," and "Is it right to send a child back home just because you believe the half-hearted parents?"

One netizen said, "If the child abuse suspicion report had been acted upon and the child protected, the abused child would not have died locked in a suitcase," adding, "It was a situation where the abuse could have been stopped, which is tragic."

Another netizen pointed out, "If forced separation is not possible, child abuse cases will continue to repeat," and "Sending a child back just because a child with impaired judgment said they want to go home is tantamount to being an accomplice."

Yet another netizen expressed outrage, saying, "It is deplorable that child abuse cases still repeat and the system does not change," and "They only assess the situation but do not come up with proper solutions, which is maddening."

Experts advised that the investigative practices handling child abuse cases need to change.

Gong Hye-jung, President of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 8th and said, "'I am reflecting on it. I will never do this again.' This is what abusers who commit child abuse always say," adding, "The problem is that they just listened to that and sent the child back home just because the child said they wanted to live there."

President Gong advised, "The protection programs of child protection agencies must be completely improved," and "Experienced counselors should be assigned, and thorough management and supervision of child protection agencies must precede."

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in reportedly instructed on the 8th to "check whether the system for identifying children in crisis is working well."

According to Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok on the day, President Moon said, "A tragic incident occurred because the system to identify children in crisis was not functioning. We need to look into measures regarding that."

Spokesperson Kang added, "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children are spending more time at home, increasing the possibility of child abuse, so President Moon's instruction was to actively find children in crisis."