'Bruises All Over the Body' Deceased Elementary Student... Why Was the Abuse Not Detected?

"Education Authorities Should Have Followed the Absentee Student Management Manual"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Following the so-called 'Jeong-in Incident,' voices demanding the eradication of child abuse have spread throughout our society, but once again, a tragic child abuse case has occurred. Recently, in Incheon, an elementary school student who was absent from school for a long time, claiming to be homeschooled, passed away, and there is a possibility that parental abuse is the cause of the problem.

The 12-year-old boy A, who was brought to the hospital in cardiac arrest with no breathing or pulse, had bruises on his body. Initially, the parents claimed to the police that "the child inflicted the wounds on himself," but after intense questioning by the police, they partially admitted to the charges, saying, "We hit him for disciplinary purposes."

Boy A did not attend school citing homeschooling as the reason. This was why the school found it difficult to detect the abuse by the parents. The parents said, "We are preparing for studying abroad in the Philippines, so we are homeschooling," and did not send the child to school. A was classified as a long-term absentee as he had not attended school continuously from November 24 last year until the day before his death on the 6th of this month.

Generally, long-term absentees like boy A are designated as subjects for intensive management by the education authorities to ensure the safety of homeschooled children. However, the school did not conduct home visits but only checked the child's whereabouts and safety via phone calls and reported accordingly. In December last year, the stepmother B visited the school, and on the 30th of last month, eight days before A’s death, a phone consultation was held, but the school did not detect any signs of abuse.

There is a lingering regret that if homeschooling management had been more thorough, the abuse could have been detected earlier. Since there have been previous cases where elementary students who were long-term absentees from school were found dead due to parental abuse, there are criticisms of the education authorities’ lukewarm response. In March 2021, in Incheon, a third-grade elementary student who was absent for a long time due to home study and off-campus experiential learning died from parental abuse.

Gong Hye-jung, president of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association, pointed out that the education authorities’ management of long-term absentees was lax. On the 9th, on CBS Radio’s 'Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show,' Gong said, "Although the homeroom teacher managed the child regularly by phone, no home visits were conducted," adding, "Especially since A was absent without permission for about a month before the winter vacation, it was a situation where child abuse could have been sufficiently suspected."

She further explained, "According to the Ministry of Education’s manual for managing unapproved absences, home visits must be conducted to confirm the child’s safety and whereabouts. School staff and dedicated social welfare personnel should visit together, and if the guardian refuses the interview request, the police must be requested to investigate."

Gong added, "In this case, since it was an unapproved absence, it is a matter that can be reported as child abuse due to educational neglect. According to Article 11 of the Child Abuse Punishment Act, the police or dedicated child abuse officials can enter necessary places to protect the child and conduct investigations."