Child Abuse and
Neglect in Family
Yi Bae Keun (President, Korea Youth
Counseling Institute)
児童虐待と家族のネグレクト
Child Abuse and Neglect in Family
イ・ベグン
韓国青年カウンセリング研究所長
Yi Bae Keun
(President, Korea Youth
Counseling Institute)
I. Review on Child Protection in
1. Legislation for Child Protection
During the past
decade, children's issues in
In Three Kingdoms days, King
Yuri, the 5th King of Silla Dynasty in 28, enacted
royal orders to care those children without parents or care-givers. King Sungjong of Korea Dynasty In 994 set up public system to
take care those children at risk up to age of ten. King Chungjo,
the 22nd king of Yi Dynasty in 1783 set up public systems for the abandoned and
street children by legislation. However, modernized child care and protection
institutions had been set on foot by Christian mission services since early in
1900's.
Right after the liberation from
1) In the 1st and 2nd Korean
Government periods; the Education Law in 1949, and the Labor Standard Law in
1953 were enacted.
2) In the 3rd and 4th Government
Periods; in 1961, the Child Welfare law, the Livlihood
Protection Law, and the Minor Protection Law were enacted. The School Health
Law in 1967, the Mother and Child Health Law in 1973, and the Special Education
Promotion Law in 1977 were legislated.
3) In the 5th and 6th Government
periods; in 1981, the Revised Child Welfare Law, the Welfare Law for the
Handicapped, and the Infant Education Promotion Law were enacted. The Youth
Upbringing law in 1987, and the Infants and Preschoolers Nursing Law in 1991
were legislated.
Recently legislating the Family
Violence Prevention Law in 1998, the Youth Protection Law in 1999 and the
Revised Child Welfare Law in 2000 included prevention, intervention,
identification and treatment of child abuse and neglect came to mark a new era
of child right in
2. Child Love and Protection Movement
In 1921, one year before Eglantyne Jebb in U. K. announced
Child Rights, Korean civic movement to love and protect the children were risen
spontaneously by Cheondoism (a Korean rooted
religion) as well as educated leaders of the society. In accordance with the
movement, Children's Day was set up in 1923 and May 5th could be a national
holiday. In 1957 Children's Charter was enacted, and it was revised in 1988.
International Year designated by UN for Children (1979), for the
Handicapped(1981), and International Year for the Youth(1985) pushed
forward improvement of child and youth services programs by the government and
NGOs to a degree.
As far as advocacy and promotion
of child rights, UNICEF Korea has carried out key roles by forwarding
governmental ratification of Convention on the Right of the child(CRC),
explaining CRC to school and the civic society, and organizing NGOs for
implementation of CRC.
In 1989 UNICEF Korea and Korea
Welfare Foundation organized the Korean Association for Prevention of Child
Abuse and Neglect (KAPCAN), and over fifteen years KAPCAN has developed
systems, procedures and implementation of child right against child violence
and child abuse including child exploitation. Good Neighbors has extended its
prevention and treatment of child abuse programs on a nationwide since 1996. In
1983 Korea Child Protection Foundation set up Child-line and in 1999
established group home for the abused and neglected children and devoted to
express the voice of children and youth as well as to protect those abused
children.
In 1991 Korea Council of
Children's Organizations and in 1992 Korean Society for Child Welfare was
established respectively to advocate and promote quality of child life. In 1995
Foundation for Preventing Youth Violence was established, and in 1997 Korean
Society for Child Rights was set up by professors and professionals to study
and develop child right programs and indicators, etc. However, provision
of systems and installation of 39 Central and Local Child Abuse Prevention
Centers since 2000, in accordance with the Revised Child Welfare Law, were to
be recorded as critical efforts by GO and NGOs for those children at risk.
II. The most recent Child and Family Issues
Escape from poverty during
1960's and 1970's was the most major targets of family and society and as a
result,
The most recent child and family
issues in
1. Change of Family Structure and Decrease
Number of Children
Table 1. Change of Family Structure (%)
|
1975 |
1980 |
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
|
|
Nuclear Family |
71.9 |
73.1 |
73.3 |
74.1 |
73.7 |
72.9 |
|
Extended Family |
21.1 |
18.2 |
16.3 |
13.9 |
11.6 |
10.2 |
|
Others |
7.0 |
8.7 |
10.4 |
12.8 |
14.7 |
16.9 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
As shown above, nuclear family
has increased from 71.9 percent in 1975 to 72.9 percent in 2000, while on the
other, extended family with grandparents has decreased from 21.1 percent in
1975 to 10.2 percent in 2000. As a necessary consequence, it follows that the
average numbers of family members has been decreased from 5.0 in 1975 to 2.9 in
2005 as under.
Table 2. Average Number of Family
Members
|
1975 |
1985 |
1995 |
2000 |
2005 |
|
|
Average Numbers
of Family Members |
5.0 |
4.2 |
3.7 |
3.1 |
2.9 |
Resource: Statistics
of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
Change of family structure and
average number of family members have an effect on the decrease of child
population. Child population under 18 years of age has decreased from 46.3
percent among total population in 1975 to 24.2 percent in 2005. In family
decrease of child population has brought about over child protection as well as
over discipline, child fatness, and other problems.
Table 3. Change of Child Population
(unit: 1,000)
|
1975 |
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
2005 |
|
|
Total Population |
35,281 |
40,806 |
42,869 |
44,851 |
47,008 |
48,294 |
|
Child Population |
16,351 |
15.013 |
14,489 |
12,800 |
12,904 |
11,689 |
|
Rate of Child population (%) |
46.3 |
36.8 |
33.8 |
28.5 |
27.5 |
24.2 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
2. Increase of Divorce Rate
In recent, rapid change of
family structure and increase number of nuclear family are basically caused by
severe conflict of family members and increase the divorce rate. The National
Statistical Office reports per couple of 17 couples in 1983, 7 couples in 1993
and 3.5 couples in 2000 divorced.
In 2005, total of 128,500
couples divorced, the means age of divorce was 40 years of age for men and 37
years of age for women, and 70 percent of the divorced couples had children
under 20 years.
Table 4. Trends of Divorce Rate
|
1980 |
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
2005 |
|
|
No. of divorce
(unit: 1,000) |
23.7 |
45.7 |
68.4
|
120.0 |
128.5 |
|
Crude Divorce
Rate (CDR) |
0.6 |
1.1 |
1.5 |
2.5 |
2.6 |
Resource: The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, 2006
In addition to the increase of
divorce rate, remarriage rate is also increasing. The remarriage rate was 10.0
percent of men and 10.0 percent of women in 1995, however, 18.9 percent and
21.1 percent in 2005 respectively. Children are to be affected in adaption to their newly established family environment by
the remarriage of their parents.
Table 5. Trends of Remarriage Rate(%)
|
1995 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
|
Men |
10.0 |
10.6 |
11.6 |
12.8 |
13.1 |
14.7 |
15.4 |
16.5 |
18.2 |
18.9 |
|
`Women |
10.0 |
11.3 |
12.5 |
14.0 |
14.5 |
16.4 |
17.2 |
18.3 |
20.4 |
21.1 |
Resource: The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, 2006
3. Children at Risk
In the past, the right of
bringing up children was the issue for the divorcing parents, on the while, in
recent escaping responsibility of child care is a problem of the divorcing
parents. The incidence of abandoned children, called social orphans, has been
decreased rapidly since 1990's; 1,844 abandoned children in 1990, 429 in 2005.
However, the number of children at risk including the abused and neglected children in the
statistics have been increased from 5,721 in 1990 to 9,420 in 2005.
As to the placement of the
children at risk, more than half of them were placed into residential care,
mainly children's home rather than family care. However, the number of children
placed into foster family care have been increased since 2004 as shown
<Table 7>.
Table 6. Statistics on the Children at
Risk
|
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
|
Abandoned
Children |
1,844 |
1,227 |
1.270 |
481 |
429 |
|
Children of
Unmarried Mothers |
2,369 |
1.285 |
2,983 |
4,004 |
2,638 |
|
Missing Children |
360 |
149 |
144 |
62 |
63 |
|
Family
Disorganization, Runaway children |
1,148 |
1,915 |
1,757 |
581 |
1,413 |
|
|
|
|
|
4.265 |
4.877 |
|
Total |
5,721 |
4,567 |
7,760 |
9,393 |
9.420 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs,
2006
Table 7. Statistics on the Placement of
the Children at Risk
|
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
|
Placed
residential care facilities |
3,734 |
2,819 |
4,453 |
4,782 |
4,818 |
|
Foster family
care |
1,134 |
505 |
1,406 |
2.212 |
2,322 |
|
Adoption |
853 |
472 |
1,337 |
2,100 |
1,873 |
|
Placed as child
headed family |
|
|
|
299 |
407 |
|
Total |
5,721 |
4,567 |
7,760 |
9,393 |
9,420 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
4. Child Headed Family
Since 1985, Korean Government
had come to strengthen family based services for the needy children, and
developed child-headed family services for the family consisted of children
under 18 years of ages. Child-headed family without parents or with
physically or mentally handicapped parents are to be subsidized by the
Central and Local Governments for their living, schooling, etc.
A nation wide study (Yi Bae Keun, 1988) reported the
incidence causes of child-headed family were death of parents (25.1%), death of
father (57.8%), death of mother (4.2%) and divorce, etc. (12.9%).
From middle of 1990's, the
Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has developed group home program for the
child headed family in a way to provide family like environment as well as to
give professional supervision by care-givers. As of 2005, 4,332 children are in
2,755 child-headed families. Child-headed families have been on the decrease in
number as follows;
Table 8. Statistics on
Child-headed Families
|
Numbers Child-headed
Family |
Numbers of
Children |
Numbers of
children attending school |
|||||
|
Pre- school |
Primary school |
Middle school |
High school |
Others |
|||
|
1985 |
4,941 |
6,224 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
6,696 |
13,778 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994 |
7,540 |
14,372 |
124 |
3,026 |
4,940 |
3,892 |
2,390 |
|
1998 |
8,407 |
13,627 |
150 |
2,428 |
4,515 |
5,141 |
1,393 |
|
2000 |
6,229 |
9,579 |
121 |
1,862 |
3,217 |
4,041 |
338 |
|
2003 |
3,994 |
6,184 |
99 |
1,309 |
1,966 |
2,668 |
142 |
|
2005 |
2,755 |
4,332 |
85 |
901 |
1,343 |
1,923 |
80 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
III. Child Abuse and Neglect in
Even though no
fully accurate figures are available to judge the nation-wide incidence and
prevalence of child abuse in Korea, physical abuse has been decreased in family
and school settings from limited studies and research so far as follows;
An incidence survey of battered
child of the two elementary schools in
Another small-scale nation wide
survey(Yi Bae Keun, 1993)
reported 78 percent of the responded parents battered their children. The
reasons they battered their children were disobedience (41.1%), sibling quarrel
(21.4%) and neglecting their learning (14.3%).
A case study in 1996 by Good
Neighbors reported 61.4 percent was physical abuse, 42.0 percent emotional
abuse, 36.7 percent neglect, and 14.5 percent was sexual abuse of the total responded
597 cases.
Korea Health and Social Institute
reported approximately 508,000 children were suffering from various types child
abuse and neglect by its randomly sampled survey in 1996.
Research on child abuse in 2000
by Child line of Korea Child Protection Foundation reported age group from 8 to
10 years old was 25 percent, from 4 to 7 was 24 percent, and from 11 to 13 was
18 percent.
On the while, statistics of 2006
says 4,633 children were reported as abused and neglected children in 2005. Of
the total, 36.9 percent is duplicated abuse, 35.3 percent neglect, 11.1 percent
emotional abuse, 9.1 percent physical abuse, 4.4 percent sexual abuse, 3.2
percent abandoned. Types of child abuse were;
Table 9. Types of Child Abuse
(Number of children (percent))
|
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
|
|
Physical abuse |
476(22.6) |
254(10.3) |
347(11.9) |
364(9.4) |
423(9.1) |
|
Emotional abuse |
114(5.4) |
184(7.4) |
207(7.1) |
350(9.0) |
512(11.1) |
|
Sexual abuse |
86(4.1) |
65(2.6) |
134(4.6) |
177(4.5) |
206(4.4) |
|
Neglect |
671(31.9) |
814(32.8) |
965(33.0) |
1.367(35.1) |
1,635(35.3) |
|
Abandonment |
134(6.4) |
212(8.6) |
113(3.9) |
125(3.2) |
147(3.2) |
|
Multiple abuse |
623(29.6) |
949(38.3) |
1,155(39.5) |
1.508(38.8) |
1,710(36.9) |
|
Total |
2,105(100) |
2,478(100) |
2,921(100) |
3.891(100) |
4,633(100.0) |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
With respect to the place where
the abuse and neglect occurred, total of 4,633 children reported in 2005 as
abuse and neglect family was 77.5 percent, and this means most child abuse and
neglect cases are occurred in family as under;
Table 10. Place where Child Abuse and
Neglect occurred
|
Numbers of
children |
Percent |
|
|
In family |
3,589 |
77.5 |
|
Near home or on
the street |
253 |
5.5 |
|
Relatives home |
84 |
1.8 |
|
Neighbours |
55 |
1.2 |
|
Nursery care room |
19 |
0.4 |
|
Day care center |
65 |
1.4 |
|
Kindergarten |
6 |
0.1 |
|
School |
44 |
0.9 |
|
Educational
institute |
24 |
0.5 |
|
Hospital |
51 |
1.1 |
|
Welfare
institution |
97 |
0.4 |
|
Unknown |
19 |
0.4 |
|
Others |
327 |
7.1 |
|
Total |
4,633 |
100 |
Resource: Statistics of the
Health and Social Affairs, 2006
As to statistics on age of
the abused and neglected children in 2005, of the total 4,633, children in
10-12 years of age was 25.8 percent, 7-9 was 22.9 percent, and 13-15 was 18.3
percent. Regarding to gender, 2,353(50.8%) was boys and 2,280(49.2%) was girls,
and so there was no discrepancy between boys and girls.
Table 11. Age of Abused and Neglected
Children
|
under 1 |
1-3 |
4-6 |
7 - 9 |
10 -12 |
13- 15 |
16 - 18 |
Unknown |
Total |
|
|
Children |
132 |
374 |
681 |
1,062 |
1,197 |
849 |
334 |
4 |
4,633 |
|
Percent |
2.9 |
8.1 |
14.7 |
22.9 |
25.8 |
18.3 |
7.2 |
0.1 |
100 |
Resource:
Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
Table 12. Types of the Abused and
Neglected Children's Family
|
Numbers of
children |
Percent |
|
|
General family |
1,173 |
25.3 |
|
Motherless family |
1,559 |
33.7 |
|
Fatherless family |
659 |
14.2 |
|
Unmarried parents |
85 |
1.8 |
|
Remarried family |
317 |
6.8 |
|
Relatives |
283 |
6.1 |
|
Illegal living
together |
227 |
4.9 |
|
Foster home |
29 |
0.6 |
|
Adopted family |
17 |
0.4 |
|
Institutional
care |
88 |
1.9 |
|
Child-headed
family |
26 |
0.6 |
|
Unknown |
78 |
1.7 |
|
Others |
92 |
2.0 |
|
Total |
4,633 |
100 |
Resource:
Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
As shown above, motherless family was
33.7 percent and fatherless family was 14.2 percent of the total 4,633 abused
and neglected children in 2005. This means almost half of the total family with
child abuse and neglect was disorganized family.
With respect to the types
of abusers, father was 55.2 percent, mother 23.7, step father 0.8, step mother
3.1, and adopt parents was 0.6 percent, Table 13 shows most of the abusers,
83.4 percent of the total, was parents.
Table 13. Types of the Abusers
|
Type of Abuser |
Number of Abuser |
Percent |
|
|
Parents |
Father |
2.554 |
55.2 |
|
Mother |
1,098 |
23.7 |
|
|
Step father |
38 |
0.8 |
|
|
Step mother |
142 |
3.1 |
|
|
Adoptive father |
15 |
0.3 |
|
|
Adoptive mother |
15 |
0.3 |
|
|
Sub total |
3,862 |
83.4 |
|
|
Grand parents,
Relatives, Others |
Grand parents |
141 |
3.1 |
|
Relatives,
sibling |
209 |
4.5 |
|
|
Teachers,
neighbors, others |
421 |
9.0 |
|
|
|
Total |
4,633 |
100 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
Table 14
shows gender and age groups of the abusers. In gender, men were 64.5
percent and women were 34.6 percent, and 0.9 percent was unknown. Male abusers
were almost double more than female. As to the ages of the abusers, 40-49
years of age was 40.2 percent, 30-39 was 33.0 percent. In general, 30 -49 years
of age group was 73.2 percent of the total abusers, and so the most dangerous
age group.
Table 14. Gender and Age Groups
of the Abusers
|
|
Number of abuser |
Percent |
|
|
Sex |
Male |
2,984 |
64.5 |
|
Female |
|
|
|
|
Unknown |
|
|
|
|
Age groups |
Under19 years of
age |
52 |
1.1 |
|
20 - 29 years of
age |
289 |
6.2 |
|
|
30 - 39 |
1,529 |
33.0 |
|
|
40 - 49 |
1,862 |
40.2 |
|
|
50 - 59 |
349 |
7.5 |
|
|
60 - 69 |
105 |
2.3 |
|
|
Over 70 years of
age |
36 |
0.8 |
|
|
Unknown |
411 |
8.9 |
|
|
|
Total |
4,633 |
100 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
As to the economic
statues, abusing family under 1.5 million Won of monthly income was over 50
percent of the total, therefore, poverty is one of significant factors of
intra-familial child abuse and neglect as Table 15 shows us.
Table 15. Economic Statues of the
Abusing Families
|
Number of family |
Percent |
|
|
None or under 0.5
million Won |
1,136 |
24.5 |
|
0.5 million - one
million Won |
747 |
16.1 |
|
one million - 1.5
million Won |
461 |
10.0 |
|
1.5 million - 2
million Won |
231 |
5.0 |
|
2 million - 2.5
million Won |
97 |
2.1 |
|
2.5 million - 3 million |
45 |
1.0 |
|
Over 3 million |
38 |
0.8 |
|
Unknown |
1,878 |
40.5 |
|
Total |
4,633 |
100 |
Resource: Statistics of the Health and Social Affairs, 2006
IV. In Familial Child Abuse and Neglect in
We are supposed to feel safe at
home. Home should be where children are loved, protected, and restored after
school. For many children, however, the home is not a safe haven from the
family violence. Instead, it is a dangerous place where mental, physical, or
sexual suffering occurs, often on a regular basis.
Child abuse and neglect are
global phenomena. In every society and in every period of human history,
children have been subjected to some forms of abuse and neglect. In terms of
definition and scope, child abuse has been extended from baby battered
syndrome, a limited age and type of abuse, to physical and psychological abuse
and neglect, and lastly to maltreatment, that is to say, a comprehensive
conception and scope.
Early in 1960's, Kempe defined the intra-familial child abuse and neglect as
"Any child who received non-accidental physical injury as a result or
guardians." Middle of 1980's, ISPCAN(International Society for the
Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) specified child abuse and neglect as
intra-familial child maltreatment - distinguished into physical, emotional,
sexual abuse, and extra-familial child maltreatment - distinguished into
institutional child abuse, neglect, exploitation of child labour,
sexual abuse including child prostitution.
Today, child abuse and neglect, especially in
family, have become an increasing social issues in
As mentioned above, 77.5
percent of the total abused and neglected cases were from family; only 25.3
percent was family with parents, and one-parent family was 45.9 percent. Of the
abusers, 83.4 percent was parents and of them, 55.2 percent was fathers and
23.7 percent was mothers. As to factors related with economic status, 50.6
percent of the total family was under 1.5 million Won of monthly income, on the
other hand, that of over 3 million Won was only 0.8 percent of the total.
As a result, most of child abuse
and neglect occurs in family, and motherless and fatherless family are high in
incidence of child abuse and neglect. Parents are the major parts of abusers,
and poverty is one of significant factors for child abuse and neglect.
A recent study on the
intra-familial child abuse and neglect by Prof. Jeon
Sun Young reported the characteristics of the abusers as follow;
Table 16. Characteristics of the
Abusers
|
Number of abusers |
Percent |
|
|
Personality
problems |
663 |
10.2 |
|
Experience of
abuse when he was young |
122 |
1.9 |
|
Alcoholic and
drug abuse |
631 |
9.7 |
|
Physical and
mental handicapped, mental illness |
379 |
5.8 |
|
Unwanted baby |
108 |
1.7 |
|
Maltreatment |
1,166 |
17.9 |
|
Insufficiency of
parenting skill and knowledge |
838 |
12.9 |
|
Marital conflict |
485 |
7.4 |
|
Stress |
338 |
5.0 |
|
Social isolation |
305 |
4.7 |
|
Economic problem |
643 |
9.9 |
|
Spouse violence
and ascendant abuse |
363 |
5.6 |
|
Man with criminal
record |
96 |
1.5 |
|
Religious problem |
35 |
0.5 |
|
No specific
characters |
38 |
0.6 |
|
Unknown |
202 |
3.1 |
|
Others |
106 |
1.6 |
|
Total |
6,507 |
100 |
As to characteristics of the
abusers in family, maltreatment of parents was 17.9 percent, insufficiency of
parenting skill was 12.9 percent. As a result, parenting skill, attitude,
knowledge are critical to prevent parents from child abuse and neglect in
family, and so parent education parenting skill, parent counselling,
after care, follow-up should be emphasized.
Other charateristics
of the abusers were personality problems(10.2 %), alcohol and drug abuse(9.7%),
marital conflicts(7.4%), physical and mental illness(5.8%), spouse
violence and ascendant abuse(5.6%), stress(5.0%), experience of abuse when he
was young(1.9%), and religious problem(0.5%). Professional counseling service
and treatment program should be provided for those cases.
Lastly in case of economic
problems(9.9%) and social isolation(4.7%), financial support, community
networking and finding community resources services might be connected to the
cases.
V. Program Planning against Child Abuse and
Neglect
1. Empowerment of the Parents
Empowerment of the parents will
be critical to solve the problems with respect of child abuse and neglect in family,
therefore, formal and non-formal parents education regarding child care, child
growth and development, child psychology, health, nutrition, resource finding
and other parenting skills should be expanded.
As a social safety net, social
insurance and public assistance programmers are to carry out key role for
empowerment of the parents. Therefore, governmental authorities should develop
supporting systems and programs not only for the family with children at risk
but also all the family with vulnerable and general children in a way to
bringing up the children healthy and soundly.
Lastly parents for themselves
should willingly take part in voluntary activities to protect their children in
the community.
2. Building up early intervention and prevention
system for child abuse and neglect as Governmental policy and program planning
As an integration supporting
services for prevention child abuse and neglect and child health counseling,
networking between child protection services and home visiting nurse system for
the vulnerable families, is to be pretested as pilot
project in 2006 - 2007, and will be implemented as national scale from 2008.
3. Establishing integrated child protection
system and strengthening efficiency
Set up fundamental integrated
system for prevention and early intervention of child abuse and neglect is to
be provided sooner, in a way to network possible public and private community
resources like health post, community child welfare center, school, religious
facilities, hospital, etc. In order to heighten efficiency of child protection
system, professional services of child protection centers, increase the number
of professional child protection worker and development of coping skills in
accordance with types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc. are to be planned.
4. Public relations for the prevention
of child abuse and neglect
Strengthening public relations
for the prevention of child abuse and neglect through broadcasting TV, radio
and other media, and producing poster are provided. Education and public
relations with respect to the types of child abuse and neglect, and education
for the parents as abusers are to be implemented.
5. Building up early intervention and
protection system for the missing children
Canvassing corporate to support
public advertisement and mobile services, periodical evaluation of the
unregistered child care facilities, and strengthening public relations to
heighten social understanding on missing children are to be planned.