by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Surveillance cameras will soon become a requirement for all day care centers in South Korea as part of an effort to prevent child abuse, according to Yonhap News Agency.
During a policy meeting on Thursday, South Korean lawmakers decided to pass a bill next month that will allow them to install surveillance cameras at about 45,000 day care centers nationwide. The law is expected to take effect in March.
The decision comes after a series of child abuse cases in Incheon. Last week, a video of a 33-year-old day care teacher physically assaulting a 4-year-old girl for not finish her meal went viral and shocked the nation. A similar case was also caught on camera back in December when another childcare worker flung a 2-year-old boy onto the ground multiple times. Both cases are still under investigation.
http://youtu.be/xw6mOLW8Gnc
“Child abuse is a crime that cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” said Welfare Minister Moon Hyong-pyo, according to the Korea Herald. “We also acknowledge that the problem is associated with the long working hours of day care workers. We plan to come up with plans to tackle this issue as well.”
Day care center employees work about 9.3 hours a day and their average wage is about 1.3 million won (USD $1,200) a month, according to Yonhap. Due to poor working conditions, it is difficult to recruit qualified people for the job. Local governments, however, are planning to offer financial support for the new policy.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, for example, pledged up to 2.4 million won for day care centers to install surveillance cameras and plans to send counselors to help child care employees cope with their stress.
In addition to combating child abuse, South Korea’s Welfare Ministry plans to establish an agency for single parents struggling with child support payments in March 2015.
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Photo courtesy of Yonhap
