[How Is Your Dream] 1 in 10 Experiences Recurrence... The Cycle of Child Abuse Must Be Broken

Most Abused Children Return Home
High-Risk Offenders Should Be Selected for Intensive Education

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] One of the major issues in child abuse is the repeated re-abuse that occurs even after the perpetrator has been punished. One out of ten abused children fails to escape the vicious cycle of abuse.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among the 30,045 cases of child abuse in 2019, the re-abuse rate was 11.4% (3,431 cases), with 2,776 children experiencing re-abuse. The re-abuse rate has increased for three consecutive years, from 8.5% in 2016 to 9.7% in 2017 and 10.3% in 2018.

As the environment of abused children does not improve, abuse begets further abuse. About 90% of re-abuse cases are perpetrated by parents. However, only 12.2% of abused children are separated from their families after abuse, and if they remain with their parents, the likelihood of re-abuse significantly increases. Professor Gong Jeong-sik of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University explained, "Abuse is an act of violence that tends to become habitual and intensify over time. If the environment of abused children is not fundamentally improved, the probability of continued re-abuse is high."

A bigger problem is that many cases of re-abuse are not reflected in statistics. When children cannot properly express themselves or there are no obvious witnesses or visible injuries, re-abuse cannot be confirmed. Experts generally agree that "the proportion of children experiencing re-abuse is higher than the statistics indicate." One in ten abused children, or even more, is exposed to abuse again, causing ongoing physical and mental suffering.

Most abused children must return to homes where the abuser resides. Therefore, without fundamental behavioral changes in the perpetrator, it is difficult to prevent re-abuse. Experts emphasize that education is essential to induce behavioral change in perpetrators. Professor Gong said, "Punishment is necessary, but ultimately, the important point is to educate perpetrators so they develop a sense of guilt and empathy regarding child abuse," adding, "Through risk assessments for re-abuse, those with a high risk of recidivism should be identified and provided with intensive child abuse education."

As the rate of child abuse recidivism increases annually, the Ministry of Justice decided last July to apply the dedicated probation officer system to child abuse offenders as well. This system selects staff with a high understanding of specific offenders to focus solely on their guidance and supervision. Previously, the dedicated probation officer system was applied only to sex offenders, drug offenders, and domestic violence offenders.