May 5 was 93th Children’s Day. The day is of significance as Bang Jeong-hwan announces that children have rights to be respected and the State has a responsibility to protect children.
The Children’s Charter honors meaning of the Children’s Day and prescribes that all children should be respected as human being, raised at decent environment, and free from violence, receiving quality education. In addition, the UN Convention on the Right of the Child states that benefits of children have to be prioritized and their survival and development have to be guaranteed, for which every possible legislative and administrative measures have to be taken.
However, many children in Korea are growing up in an environment that does not reflect the spirit of Children’s Day or Children’s Charter. The 2013 Survey on Children in Korea by the Ministry of Health and Welfare shows that Korean children are most unsatisfied with their lives among the OECD member countries. 3.6% of children aged from 7-19 responded that they have seriously considered committing suicide for the past one year, and only 44.3% of respondents have received education on safety. In addition,
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, in 2011, recommended to the Korean government to completely ban corporal punishment, improve education system that foster competition, guarantee students’ freedom of expression and right to participation, devise adequate measures to prevent violence against children, and strengthen human rights education.
Accordingly, the NHRCK in 2012 proposed 52 human rights tasks to the education authorities and schools through the ‘Comprehensive recommendation to create human rights-friendly school environment. It also pushed ahead with various types of policy recommendations and human rights education to guarantee children’s right to participation, protect human rights of juvenile outside the school, prevent child abuse, and promote human rights of children residing in child care facilities. In addition, the NHRCK created an exclusive team for human rights of children and juvenile in order to comprehensively and systematically carry out tasks to guarantee human rights of children/juvenile.
However, despite such efforts of the NHRCK, most of complaints related to child are about violation of human rights of children including verbal abuse or corporal punishment. This means that for promotion of human rights of children, we need to step up our efforts to change perception of adult and to promote human rights of children.
Children are our future and present. We can expect bright and healthy future only when children can enjoy healthy and bright lives. It is time for us to act together to create a safe and healthy environment where human rights of children are guaranteed.
