Seoul City Launches First Public-Private Council for Child Abuse Prevention and Rapid Response

First Meeting on the 26th, Exchange of Opinions on Seoul City's Child Abuse Prevention and Response Measures... Scheduled for Announcement in March

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has formed a public-private consultative body, the "Seoul Child Abuse Prevention Council," to early identify children at risk and prevent harm, as well as to enable prompt and systematic responses in case of child abuse incidents. The council began its first operation on the 26th.

The Seoul Child Abuse Prevention Council was established to build a cooperative system among related organizations, diagnose issues in the current system, and develop effective countermeasures. The council consists of a total of 10 members, including representatives from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, Seoul Child Protection Agency, and experts from child welfare, medical, and legal fields.

The council plans to hold regular quarterly meetings to establish an organic cooperative system among institutions and operate a task force (TF) as needed to respond immediately according to situations.

At the meeting held that day, the purpose of establishing the Child Abuse Prevention Council and the roles of each organization were shared, and various opinions were gathered regarding the establishment of a public-private cooperation system and the comprehensive plan for child abuse prevention and response being prepared by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Song Da-young, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, stated, “Through continuous public-private cooperation, we will exchange diverse ideas to solve child abuse issues and implement effective policies to ensure that all children can live in a safe environment. The comprehensive plan for child abuse prevention and response discussed at this meeting will be announced in March after reflecting improvement suggestions.”