“It was a fact of child abuse at a child welfare and nurturing facility.”

“Hey, boy, Tak! I love you... Tak! Put on your shoes, tak!...”

On the 11th, in the meeting room of the Gender Equality and Family Lifelong Education Committee (Chairman Park Chang-soon) of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, a shout from an official from a child welfare facility communal home (group home, small orphan protection facility) resounded.

Eleven provincial legislators and the staff of the Gender Equality and Family Bureau of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office listened to this recording together in tension.

It was the moment when the fact that the communal family was abusing the youth in the care was revealed.

“I got goosebumps when I heard this recorded file where the youth group home manager corporal punishment for the youth. My hands and feet were shaking and I couldn't sleep at night. Child abuse, neglect, and violence are actually taking place in child welfare and nurturing facilities.”

Gyeonggi-do lawmaker Lee Jin-yeon couldn't calm her excitement, but that didn't mean she was yelling at the officials. He was complaining to the provincial officials.

“When I requested the group home guidance inspection data from the provincial government, there was no report of the abuse I received from the children. When I asked for detailed data, a similar story was briefly mentioned.”

Rep. Jin-yeon Lee reported to the police for obvious cases of child abuse and filed a complaint with Gyeonggi-do for other cases, but nothing changed.

“In the end, the guidance check data shows that there are no problems with the group home. What do you do with a guidance check? Nothing is resolved. It's not just one or two cases of abuse, neglect, and assault reported to me by children via phone and other means. I have several of these recording files on my phone.”

Rep. Lee is said to have complained that even if children report their harm to the police, the perpetrators will not be investigated. In the end, the children had no choice but to run away, but the group home received the same allowance and support even when the children ran away.

“Accounting fraud is also strongly suspected. But I can't get that data. It is said that Gyeonggi-do does not receive the personal living expenses paid by the state. Meanwhile, child abuse, including accounting fraud, continues. If we do not solve this problem, eventually the state and local governments will become the main culprits for neglecting and abusing these children.”

Rep. Jin-yeon Lee's question about the audit of administrative affairs, which drove the standing committee meeting room into tension, ended up taking more than 10 minutes. It was a short time to deliver all the voices of abused children in childcare facilities. Chairman Park Chang-soon, who had stopped him if he passed the question time, waited quietly this time.

In the end, Lee Soon-num, director of the Gender Equality and Family Affairs Bureau of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office, answered. “I listened to the recording with a heavy and painful heart,” he said. It is a pity that we did not do a thorough inspection of the group home check. It is difficult because we cannot observe all aspects of life during the guidance check process. We will discuss improvement measures with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.”

Rep. Lee Jin-yeon's sigh deeply filled every corner of her conference hall despite the director's reply.

Reporter Song Haseong