Bill Proposed to Verify 'Abuse Status' During Infant and Toddler Health Checkups

Assemblyman Lee Byung-hoon Introduces Partial Amendment Bill to the National Health Insurance Act as Principal Sponsor

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A bill has been proposed to prevent child abuse and to detect it early in order to minimize harm to children.

On the 31st, Congressman Lee Byung-hoon (The Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Dong-gu Nam-gu Eul) announced that he had proposed a partial amendment to the National Health Insurance Act.

The bill mandates that the infant and toddler health checkup items include a section to confirm whether the child has been a victim of abuse.

Child abuse cases involving daycare teachers, adoptive parents, relatives, and others continue to occur, including the Jeong In case, which sparked public outrage last year.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of child abuse cases, which was about 6,800 in 2013, surged nearly fourfold to about 24,600 in 2018, five years later.

If this law passes in the National Assembly, examinations for child abuse will be mandatory during the infant and toddler health checkups conducted eight times in total from 14 days to 71 months of age for children under six years old.

It is expected that early detection and prevention of signs of child abuse by government agencies, as well as protection and support for abused children, will be carried out efficiently.

Congressman Lee said, "Child abuse is often committed by those in caregiving positions, making it secretive and difficult for outsiders to detect the harm to children," adding, "It is necessary to check the caregiving situation through regular infant and toddler health checkups conducted by the state."

He emphasized, "The responsibility of caregiving lies with the entire society."