The issue of child abuse has been raised for decades, but there is still a lot of child abuse in society. We would like to find out more about the problem of child neglect. Child neglect means the act of failing to fulfill the minimum protection and responsibilities necessary for developing the physical, emotional, and social development of a child soundly. The types of neglect include the act of not providing basic food and clothing, the act of not registering a child’s birth, and the case of a guardian running away from home.
There was a case that two brothers were seriously injured by a fire while their mother was away from home on the second floor of a villa building in Incheon on September 14. Their mother took care of them, and the basic livelihood family security program had supported them. On the day of the accident, the brothers tried to make their own meals, and the accident occurred as the school conducted a non-face-to-face class due to COVID-19.
The brother's mother was confirmed to has been reported to the child protection agency three times for neglecting her children. On May 29, the child protection agency requested the Incheon Family Court to separate the two brothers from their mother, but it was rejected. The incident occurred during the time the agency again filed a petition for protection. Welfare agencies and others continued to contact their mother after the accident, but she was out of touch.
Negligence can have a far-reaching impact on the cognitive, physical, social, and psychological development of children and has features distinct from other types of child abuse. Children who have experienced neglect generally tend to be passive and socially atrophied, while children who suffer from other types of child abuse tend to be more aggressive or more active. Severe levels of neglect in infants and toddlers cause fatal damage to the physical growth and cognitive development of children. When neglect persists, it causes severe damage to social functions, interpersonal relationships, and academic achievement, and in extreme cases, death.
Therefore, to reduce the problem of child neglect, the social prejudice of not taking child abuse seriously should be changed, as well as efforts to create various systems that can protect children in government.
