Gyeonggi Province was selected as the top local government in the "2025 Child Abuse Response System Evaluation" organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In this evaluation, Gyeonggi Province received high praise for its comprehensive detection system that minimizes blind spots in child abuse cases, the nation’s first wide-area hub-based protection system, and an integrated support system that connects medical, psychological, and foster care services.
From the fourth quarter of last year to the third quarter of this year, Gyeonggi Province investigated a total of 36,111 children, including those covered by the e-Child Happiness Support Project, high-risk children, children not registered at birth, and children identified by the province itself. The province checked for signs of crisis and linked those in need to welfare services.
In 2022, Gyeonggi Province established the nation’s first wide-area hub child protection agency, which serves as a control tower overseeing the entire child abuse response network in the province. This includes child abuse-specialized officials, child protection agencies, shelters for abused children, and the police. Currently, the province operates 26 child protection agencies, 3 temporary child shelters, and 44 shelters for abused children.
Gyeonggi Province was selected as the top local government in the child abuse response system evaluation. Provided by Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province has also established an integrated support system that combines medical, psychological, and foster care assistance for abused children into a single streamlined process. Yongin Severance Hospital has been designated as the wide-area child abuse-specialized medical institution, providing medical support, expert consultation, campaigns, and education. Through the "Mind Keeper Fast Track" project, involving 11 hospitals in the province, psychological evaluations for abused children can be conducted quickly within two weeks. In addition, the province provides practical financial support for children in professional foster care, including childcare subsidies, funding for purchasing children’s goods, educational and experiential activity expenses, and college preparation funds.
Kwon Munju, Director of the Child Care Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "This top award is the result of collaboration among city and county governments, child protection agencies, medical, welfare, education, police, and all child abuse response personnel working in the field. We will continue to strengthen Gyeonggi Province’s child protection system so that not a single child is overlooked."
Meanwhile, over the past three years (2022-2024), Gyeonggi Province has recorded an annual average of 12,726 child abuse reports and 7,529 confirmed abuse cases, the highest in the country.
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