Health ministry gathers experts to prevent child abuse deaths

The health ministry convened a panel of legal, medical and welfare experts on Thursday to discuss strategies for preventing child abuse deaths ahead of launching a new analysis system.

The initiative seeks to institutionalize deep case reviews of suspected abuse fatalities, granting the health minister authority to request interviews and data to identify systemic gaps and prevent recurrence. This framework stems from an amendment to the Child Welfare Act, with implementing decrees open for public comment from late April through early June.

Officials sought input from specialists to ensure the committee can derive improvements to the current protection system. Eun Seong-ho, director of the population and social services policy office at the health ministry, emphasized the significance of the new legal framework. "It is highly meaningful that a legal basis has been established to draw out improvements to the child protection system through in-depth analysis of risks children face, such as abuse, and to activate requests for guardian appointments by local governments," he said.

Kim Yu-im, head of the National Center for Children's Rights, pledged to implement effective abuse prevention projects that connect field realities with policy decisions. She stated that the analysis results from the new committee should directly lead to preventing repeat incidents of preventable deaths.

First Vice Minister Hyun Soo-yup led the discussions, noting that every child fatality prompts deep reflection on whether the tragedy could have been avoided. He affirmed the government's resolve to refine the system so that no child loses their life to abuse.