Student Rights and Teacher Authority Also Mentioned
An Chang-ho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), emphasized the need for comprehensive measures related to digital sex crimes targeting adolescents.
Ahn Chang-ho, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, is reporting on work during the National Assembly Operations Committee's national audit of the National Human Rights Commission held at the National Assembly on the 31st of last month. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
On the 20th, Chairperson An stated in a press release marking 'World Children's Day,' "Today is World Children's Day, designated by the United Nations to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Our country acceded to the Convention in 1991, pledging to respect children's rights; however, recent issues show that these promises have not been fully realized. In particular, the production and distribution of deepfake sexual exploitation materials have become a major issue."
Chairperson An emphasized, "Among the victims of deepfake sex crimes, adolescents in their teens account for 6 out of 10," and added, "There is a need to establish more comprehensive measures to respond to digital sex crimes, including education aimed at correcting the sexual objectification and misogynistic culture underlying deepfake sex crimes."
He also addressed the controversial balance between student rights and teachers' authority. Chairperson An pointed out, "The authority of teachers in educational activities and the human rights of students are not mutually exclusive," and stressed, "More efforts are needed to create a human rights-friendly school where students are respected and teachers' educational activities are guaranteed."
He mentioned the human rights of children in social blind spots, such as 'unregistered birth children with migrant backgrounds.' Chairperson An explained, "Children with unregistered births exist in the world but do not officially exist as 'ghost children,' and thus cannot enjoy the basic human rights guaranteed by the state. Following the NHRCK's recommendation in November 2017 to introduce a 'birth notification system' to ensure all children's births are registered, the system was introduced last year; however, the current system applies only to our nationals, leaving children with migrant backgrounds in a blind spot." He added, "Measures must be devised so that all children can have their existence officially recognized and their rights strengthened."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
