Effectiveness of Employment Restrictions for Sexual Offenders in Child and Adolescent-Related Institutions to Be Improved

Legislative Notice for the Amendment to the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Sexual Abuse

Sanctions against those who have committed sex crimes and are subject to employment restrictions but have worked in child and youth-related institutions will be further strengthened.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that from the 24th, it will publicly notify a revision of the "Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sexual Abuse" (Youth Sexual Protection Act) to enhance the effectiveness of the employment restriction system for sex offenders.

Under the current law, offenders who have received an employment restriction order from the court due to sex crimes are prohibited from operating, being employed by, or effectively providing labor to child and youth-related institutions designated by law for up to 10 years.

However, when sex offenders violate the employment restriction order, measures such as dismissal or closure of the institution are taken, but if the operator refuses the closure request, there are no additional regulations to impose further sanctions.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to strengthen sanctions by imposing fines of up to 10 million won on operators who refuse closure requests to fill this gap in the system.

Additionally, to enhance the effectiveness of inspections conducted annually by local governments and education offices, fines of up to 3 million won will be imposed on child and youth-related institutions that refuse to submit materials for checking and verifying sex crime offenders.

Along with this, sanctions against violators who break the employment restriction order and work at child and youth-related institutions will also be strengthened. Legislative support for the passage of the Youth Sexual Protection Act amendment currently proposed in the National Assembly will continue.

From March to December last year, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family conducted inspections on whether sex offenders were employed at approximately 540,000 child and youth-related institutions, including schools, academies, and sports facilities, through central administrative agencies, local governments, and education offices, resulting in the detection of 81 individuals subject to sex crime employment restrictions.

Meanwhile, the public notice draft also includes designating international schools as child and youth-related institutions subject to employment restrictions, and revising institutions with insufficient legal clarity as employment-restricted institutions, such as academies, sports facilities, and home-visit learning teacher workplaces.