At a nursery in Guro-gu, Seoul, the children are taking a very important lesson today.
"D" Nursery
Guro-gu, Seoul
[Interview : ] "Everyone, what do you do when a stranger says they'll take you home[Interview : ] "Help me!"
The lesson is to teach them how to avoid becoming victims of crime. For example, getting kidnapped or sexually molested.
[Interview : ] "No, Let me go! Help!"
[Interview : Park Ok-ui, Principle
"D" Nursery] "We educate children from a very young age on how to spot and prevent sex crimes,
to mind for their own safety and develop the ability to protect themselves in emergencies."
Not to leave room for error, the lessons are routinely reinforced with mock situations.
Children practicing
[Interview : ] "Hi, little friend. I'm lost.
Could you show me the way[Interview : ] "No. Please, someone help!"
[Interview : ] "No. Help! Help!"
[Interview : ] "Come on, I don't know the way."
[Interview : ] "I don't want to go with you."
These children have learned their lessons well.
[Interview : Han Hyeon-ah
"D" Nursery] "My teacher told me not to follow strangers."
[Interview : Yu In-ju
"D" Nursery] "In the video it said that you shouldn't go anywhere with people you don't know."
[Interview : Park Ok-ui, Principle
"D" Nursery
] "It is important to teach the children different ways to protect themselves, but even more important is to get them accustomed to using these skills through regular practice."
The increase of education against "stranger danger" is a result of an alarming hike in rates of crime committed against minors, and especially young children.
The issue arrested public attention last month with the shocking case of a 9 year old girl being brutally raped and maimed for life. Many were alerted to the fact that protecting children is an imperative for society at large.
"It makes me wonder whether our society can harbor such abominable criminals."
Crimes against children have also become a hot potato in the regular hearings held by the Health, Welfare & Family Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. The need for legislature and stronger regulation has become acute.
Of course parents with young children are the first to be affected by such news. Many parents are now taking their children to and from school themselves. As more cases are uncovered by the media, parents are growing more and more anxious.
"I'm just scared that something like that might happen to my children."
[Interview : Parent] "I get worried on days when school is over early and my child goes out to play."
Among the crimes committed against children, sex offenses are increasing every year by over 10%. In 2008, a total of 1,220 cases occurred--which calculates to an average of 3.3 per day.
Kidnapping is another major crime that children are exposed to. Discussion has been opened to come up with new solutions to address these threats to our children and society.
One idea is to administer chemotherapy to curb the sexual drive of identified offenders on a regular basis. 8 states in the U.S. and a handful of European countries including Sweden and Denmark have adopted this policy.
In Korea, the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology has partnered with local school districts to take care of children after school.
Modang Elementary School
Goyang, Gyeonggi Province
Elementary schools in Gyeonggi Province are now operating an after-school day care program called the Kkumnamu Ansim School, or Child Assurance School. First or second graders are welcome to stay until 9 PM!
[Interview : Kim Hye-ryeong, Teacher
Modang Elementary School
] "Since last year, we've been operating an after-school day care center called the Kkumnamu Ansim School .
With offenses against minors on the rise, a lot of parents are looking for a safe haven to leave their kids while they're at work.
So public schools are now getting involved."
As well as providing a place to stay, a variety of extra curricular and academic programs are open to the young students. The Kkumnamu Ansim School helps reduce the burden of private tuition as well as giving parents a little peace of mind.
[Interview : Yoo Geon-hui, 2nd grader
Modang Elementary School] "My mom and dad both go to work. So I like it better here than staying alone at home."
[Interview : Won Chae-yeong, 1st grader
Modang Elementary School] "Here I can study and have fun with my friends and eat good meals.
I like it."
And of course, the school is not going to ignore the hungry little mouths that need to be fed come around supper time. It covers all the bases for children that need care during the afternoon. For many parents and their children, the Kkumnamu Ansim School is a dream come true.
[Interview : Kim Seong-suk, Caretaker
Kkumnamu Ansim School] "Most of the children have to go back to empty homes and empty dinner tables. Watching them eat makes me feel good knowing I could provide something for them."
Dinner is over, and the children are done with their day at school. Soon their parents will be here to pick them up.
[Interview : ] "Na-yeong, did you have fun today[Interview : Kim So-mi, parent] "As a working mom, it's hard to find somewhere to leave my child until late in the evening. But with the Kkumnamu Ansim School I can work assured that my child will be safe."
[Interview : Yun Hye-yong, parent] "There was no safe place to trust my children with after school.
But they give extra classes and I know that it's safe, so it's a big relief."
The effort to protect children is going on outside of school as well. A neighborhood safe house program has been initiated in 2008. The aim is to provide sanctuaries that children can flee to when they face the threat of abduction.
Although much danger can be averted through vigilance on the part of children and their parents, many experts are calling for measures to eliminate the threat from the source: the perpetrators.
[Interview : Pyo Chang-won, Professor
Korea National Police University] "Most pedophiles and sex offenders will follow their needs, desires and impulses to commit these crimes, whenever and wherever. As a group they are regarded as a menace due to the high rate of second offences.
The most effective way to manage them would be to incarcerate them indefinitely. By locking them up, children can surely be kept out of harm's way. But this solution is problematic in the fact that it violates their human rights. So discussion is currently going on to come up with a better control system, one that will be systematic and thorough on keeping tabs on identified pedophiles."
A society in which its youngest members can enjoy life in all their juvenile gaiety! To achieve this ideal, harsh punishment and a tight grip will have to be maintained to contain those that would violate the sanctity of childhood.
OCT 12, 2009
|
|
 |
in National News |
|
|
Arirang Town
Wednesday, FEB 10, 2010, (KST) 
