Ministry of Gender Equality's Work Report Omits Abolition Roadmap... Expansion of Childcare and Support for Five Major Types of Violence

Plan to Abolish Ministry of Gender Equality Excluded from Work Report
Focus on Family and Youth... Gender Equality Policies Omitted
Expansion of Childcare from 30,000 to 170,000, Introduction of National Qualification System
Establishment of Protection Facilities for Male Sexual Crime Victims, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which is slated for abolition, has completed its annual work report for this year. To expand the government’s childcare services from public to private sectors, the number of childcare providers will be increased more than fivefold. The report includes plans to strengthen support for victims of the five major types of violence and to develop and expand integrated services for diverse families such as single-parent families, single-person households, and teenage parents. However, there was no mention of gender equality policies.

On the 25th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family held its 2022 work report at the Yongsan Presidential Office, focusing on national policy tasks.

The report did not include any details about the abolition or reorganization of the ministry. Since June, the ministry has formed a strategic promotion team to devise organizational reform plans and seek alternatives. Minister Kim Hyun-sook said in a pre-briefing, "The work report focused on national policy tasks, and since abolishing the ministry requires coordination with other ministries and amendments to the Government Organization Act, it was difficult to discuss it during the work report."

Previously emphasized topics in the ministry’s work reports, such as women’s rights and gender equality policies, and support projects for victims of Japanese military sexual slavery, were not highlighted. Minister Kim stated, "Regarding projects like the 'Butter Knife Crew,' which aim to resolve gender conflicts, I believe a review is necessary due to various issues raised. Since the report focuses on national policy tasks under the ministry’s jurisdiction, it might seem that way, but support for women returning to work after career breaks and protection for victims of the five major types of violence are included in the report."

Earlier, on the 5th, the ministry announced a full review of the 'Butter Knife Crew' project just one day after Kwon Seong-dong, the floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized the project for exacerbating gender conflicts.

Minister Kim added, "Despite instructions and corrective demands during the 2021 National Assembly audit to encourage male participation and improve gender balance, this year too, women overwhelmingly outnumber men, so the gender imbalance issue remains unresolved. Due to concerns about the project’s effectiveness in resolving gender conflicts, a full review is underway. From 2019 to 2022, men accounted for only about 10%, which is quite disappointing."

The main points of the new government’s work report are ▲ integrated services encompassing all families ▲ enhancing work-family balance through childcare services ▲ revitalizing digital-based youth activities ▲ strengthening one-stop support for victims of the five major types of violence and eradicating power-based sexual crimes.

The ministry will introduce a national qualification system to ensure safe use of childcare services provided by the private sector. The current number of childcare providers, about 30,000, is planned to be expanded to 170,000 by 2024. Government support for childcare services will be increased, and an integrated platform will be established to match services according to preferred times and locations. Pilot training for private childcare helpers will be conducted, the childcare training system will be restructured, and legal grounds for the national qualification system will be established.

Minister Kim said, "Although there are various private childcare service providers, there is no management system in place, so we will first establish management measures such as a registration system. To stabilize training completion and the qualification system, we will start with pilot training, then introduce the system and legal basis to significantly expand the workforce."

The campaign promise of a 'lump-sum child support payment system' was not included in this report. Regarding this, Minister Kim explained, "I understand that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Office for Government Policy Coordination due to budget issues, and an announcement will be made soon. The recovery rate for temporary emergency child support is about 9%, so we need to prioritize measures to improve the recovery rate."

Plans are also underway to establish protection facilities considering the characteristics of male victims of sexual crimes. Minister Kim said, "There are about 200 counseling centers for domestic violence and sexual violence, but currently no protection facilities for male victims. To provide violence counseling, protection, medical, and legal services for them, specialized protection facilities are necessary. We plan to submit a demand for one new facility in Seoul next year and install one more, and based on analysis of demands in other regions and local government opinions, additional facilities will be established."

To strengthen support from reporting to recovery for victims of the five major types of violence (power-based sexual crimes, digital sexual crimes, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking crimes), connections between the Women’s Emergency Call 1366 Center and the Crime Victim Support Center will be enhanced. To prevent concealment and minimization of power-based sexual crime cases, the deadline for submitting recurrence prevention measures by institution heads will be shortened from three months to one month, and amendments to the Sexual Violence Prevention Act will be pursued. Legal revisions to mandate victim protection measures within institutions will also be carried out. If recommendations from the Human Rights Commission are not implemented, the Minister of Gender Equality and Family will continue to push for exercising corrective order authority.

Minister Kim explained, "The amendment to the Framework Act on Gender Equality, which grants the Minister of Gender Equality and Family the authority to issue corrective orders, has been submitted to the National Assembly and is currently pending. We need to observe the legislative process. On-site inspections of institution heads’ cases will continue as the Sexual Violence Prevention Act and the Framework Act on Gender Equality have been amended."

The scope of child support recipients will also be expanded. From August this year, the emergency child-rearing support for single-parent families who do not receive child support from the non-custodial parent will be extended from households earning below 50% of the median income to those below 75%. Sanctions against debtors who deliberately fail to pay child support will be strengthened. The criteria for travel bans will be lowered to 30 million KRW from August, and the period for income and asset investigations will be shortened from six months to seven days. The period for public opinion statements on name disclosure will also be reduced from 90 days to 10 days.

Additionally, to aid youth mental health recovery after COVID-19, a suicide and self-harm intensive psychological clinic will be operated, and a youth treatment rehabilitation center specializing in emotional and behavioral issues such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will be established in the Honam region by 2026. To promote digital-based youth activities, the National Youth Training Center will be implemented as a metaverse. The 'Integrated Support Information System for At-Risk Youth' will be established by 2024, and from August, the special support fund ceiling for at-risk youth will be raised from 550,000 KRW to 650,000 KRW per month.