Completed Full Survey on Location and Safety of 24,000 Children Aged 3... 1 Under Investigation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Police Agency announced on the 23rd that they have completed a full survey on the whereabouts and safety of three-year-old children (born in 2018) last year.

The full survey of three-year-old children was first introduced in 2019 to confirm child safety and, if necessary, to link administrative and financial support related to parenting. It is conducted annually in the fourth quarter (October to December). The Ministry of Health and Welfare provides the list of survey targets to each local government, and public officials at community centers visit the children's residences in person to investigate parenting and emotional conditions.

The survey targets are home-cared children among three-year-olds, excluding those enrolled in daycare centers or kindergartens and those residing overseas. Last year, the total number of survey targets was 24,756, accounting for 7.4% of all children. Among them, 22,665 (91.5%) were confirmed to be safely raised, and 2,078 (8.4%) were linked and supported with welfare services necessary for improving the parenting environment and child development.

For 12 cases where it was difficult to ascertain the whereabouts and safety of children due to absence from residence, investigations were requested from the police, and the whereabouts and safety of nine children were confirmed. Among the remaining three, two children were confirmed to have died. One of the deceased children was involved in a child corpse concealment case in Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi Province, which is currently under investigation, and the other was confirmed to have died from causes unrelated to child abuse. Additionally, investigations are ongoing to confirm the whereabouts and safety of one child.

Shin Kkot-si-gye, Director of Population and Child Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "This survey provided an opportunity to confirm the whereabouts and safety of three-year-old children, discover households needing support for healthy child growth, and link welfare services, thereby helping to prevent child abuse." He added, "We will establish and strengthen a 'comprehensive child abuse prevention system' so that children can grow and develop healthily as independent individuals without being abused."

Jo Joo-eun, Director of Women's and Youth Safety Planning at the National Police Agency, said, "Most abused children, including infants and toddlers, find it difficult to seek help externally or report abuse themselves, so the special attention and awareness of citizens are necessary." She added, "We will continue to firmly organize response systems and cooperation frameworks with related agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare to ensure there are no blind spots in child abuse, promptly ascertain the whereabouts of missing children, and strictly investigate and actively respond if child abuse crime suspicions are confirmed."

Meanwhile, the government plans to conduct a full survey of children born in 2019 from October to December this year.