Osan Deploys Field Investigators and Counselors to Prevent Child Abuse

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Osan City announced on the 25th that it has launched proactive measures including field investigations and deployment of dedicated counseling personnel to prevent and detect child abuse early.

As the nation remains shocked by the recent 'Jeong-in case,' child abuse incidents continue to occur, including a case at a public childcare center in Incheon, sparking widespread public outcry.

In response, Osan City, which is preparing to become a women-friendly city, has launched countermeasures to prevent child abuse against children, a key pillar of women-friendly city initiatives. The city is immediately disseminating child abuse incident manuals and similar cases to all childcare centers including public facilities, emphasizing that child abuse is a criminal act. It is also implementing preventive education and conducting field investigations.

In relation to these efforts, the city will conduct field investigations at vulnerable childcare facilities including centers for children with disabilities. The plan is to take preemptive measures such as immediately reporting suspected child abuse cases through CCTV footage review and interviews with parents.

Additionally, the city plans to deploy dedicated counseling support personnel at the Osan Comprehensive Childcare Support Center to detect developmental risks in infants and young children early and link them to treatment, thereby contributing to healthy development and prevention of child abuse.

Among all 252 childcare centers in Osan, there are 41 public childcare centers, of which 15 are public integrated centers for children with disabilities and 1 is a corporate facility. There is 1 dedicated childcare center for children with disabilities.