Song Doohwan, Human Rights Commissioner: "Low Child Happiness Index... We Must Gather Wisdom to Create Human Rights-Friendly Schools"

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) emphasized the need to gather wisdom to create human rights-friendly schools on the occasion of the 102nd Children's Day.

Song Doo-hwan, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 5th, the NHRCK issued a statement in the name of Chairman Song Doo-hwan, stating, "It is difficult to say that the lives of our children are happy," and "The school environment is no different."

According to 2021 data, the happiness index of children in Korea ranked 22nd out of 22 OECD countries. The life satisfaction of 15-year-old children ranked 26th out of 30 countries.

Chairman Song pointed out that among the human rights violation complaints handled by the NHRCK in schools over the past five years, cases involving violations of personal rights accounted for a high proportion, noting, "This situation is rooted in the perception of children not as subjects of rights but as immature beings or objects of admonition."

He also expressed regret over the abolition of student human rights ordinances in some local governments. Chairman Song said, "It is very regrettable that the Seoul Metropolitan Council passed a bill to abolish the student human rights ordinance in the same month, following Chungcheongnam-do on the 24th of last month," emphasizing, "The authority of teachers in educational activities and the human rights of students are not mutually exclusive choices where one must be chosen and the other discarded."

Chairman Song stated, "What is most needed now is to gather wisdom on how to design and operate schools where students are respected as independent individuals, teachers' educational activities are guaranteed, and guardians cooperate."