 |
|
| ▲ Child abuse prevention poster created by the government. | |
| Ⓒ Ministry of Education website |
View related photos |
In early July 2020, Mr. A, an elementary school teacher in Gyeongnam Province, reported the parents of a student who was in charge of her homeroom to the police for’child abuse’. The teacher was suffering from threats to parents who noticed the report, and eventually went on a long leave from September 1, two months later. (Related article: Gyeongnam elementary school teacher who reported’child abuse’ suffers from’personal exposure’ http://omn.kr/1oeqh)
She gave up her homeroom job and has not been able to attend school until January 6th of this year due to sick leave. The respondent’s parents came to the school and asked the principal to’replace the homeroom’, and repeatedly pressed for teacher A to “apologize.”
According to the Gyeongnam Teachers’ Union on the 6th, Teacher A changed his cell phone number three times after paying sick leave, etc., and is undergoing hospital treatment. They are afraid that the parents will retaliate.
[현실] I changed my phone number 3 times… I gave up my homeroom teacher and received medical treatment.
As such, A is not the only teacher who was condemned after reporting suspected child abuse.
Hee-jung Han, CEO of the Practical Education Teachers’ Group, said, “It is a very extreme case, but an elementary school teacher who reported child abuse suffered from constant harassment from parents,” and said, “Even if I moved on sick leave, moved to school, I couldn’t change my cell phone number. After suffering depression, I had to change my name and move to a very distant place.”
According to the ‘2019 Current Status of Abused Children Protection’ announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of abusers was the most at 76.9%. Following this, 15.9% were surrogate caregivers, 4.5% of relatives, and 2.7% of others and others.
Parents who know that they have been reported suspect school teachers as reporters as the first priority. The following is an article posted in the communication room of the Gyeongnam Teachers’ Union.
“I recently reported child abuse, and I pretended to be unaware of parental complaints. But it was difficult to get rid of something too obvious when there were only (mostly) parents and teachers that I met with the child.” (Elementary school teacher)
“The homeroom teacher naturally gets suspicious from his parents. In my experience, I was arrogant and worried that he would come to the classroom right away during school hours or during school hours.” (Elementary school teacher)
There was even a case where the police who received the report gave parents the phone number of the teacher that they reported. In August of last year, the abuse prevention police (APO) belonging to the Joongwon Police Station in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, gave the phone number of the middle school teacher who reported the report to parents who were suspected of being abused. (Related article: Police’child abuse report teacher’ information leak… belatedly “sorry” http://omn.kr/1opyj)
When the controversy struck, the National Police Agency eventually punished the police and forced them to withdraw from the APO position.
Teacher B, whose phone number was exposed by the police, <오마이뉴스>In a phone call with, “In the future, I will report child abuse to a more meticulous child protection agency than the police,” he said.
[대책은?] “It is necessary to protect reporters to prevent abuse”… “Create an anonymous report center”
 |
|
| ▲ On the morning of the 5th, in the morning of the 5th, the parents and their parents are worshiping at the high family Andersen Natural Cemetery in Seojong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, where Jeong In-i, who died from the abuse of her adoptive parents, is asleep. | |
| Ⓒ Kwon Woo-seong |
View related photos |
Is there any way to reduce the damage to the reporter of child abuse by any means? That way, teachers who spend the most time with children can report positively and with confidence when a situation is suspected, and as a result, child abuse can be prevented early.
“In order to prevent child abuse cases such as the recent death of a 6-year-old girl in the Gangseo area in Seoul, it is necessary, above all, to establish an environment and a system in which child abuse reporters can safely report,” said Kim Ryul-gyu, chairman of the Gyeongnam Teachers’ Labor Union. He suggested that the obligor should be the head of a school institution or superintendent, not an individual teacher.”
However, there are other voices about this.
Teacher B, who is the victim of identity exposure, said, “If the person obligated to report is unified as the principal or the Office of Education, the status of the teacher is protected, but intervention in the abuse will not be possible soon.” It can be done. However, a system should be prepared to prevent damage to the reporter.”
“It is necessary to establish a system that allows reporting without revealing the identity of a teacher,” said Han Hee-jung, CEO of the Practical Education Teachers’ Group. “It is necessary to establish an anonymous reporting center for child abuse as well as an anonymous corona test. I think it is.”