Promotion of Child's Rights and the Role of the Center for Prevention of Child Abuse in Korea

Child protective services, or the child protection system (CPS), forms the most front line safety net for abused and neglected children.

The prerequisite for its activities lies in the awareness of promoting child's rights, which are well described in the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and of the significant impact of child abuse and neglect as the origins to other social problems.

Child protective services in Korea are carried on by 17 Centers for the Prevention of Child Abuse which have been opened since Octorber 2000 based on the amended Child Welfare Law which came into effect as of July 2000. The 24-hour telephone hotlines, numbered "1391", have been installed within the Centers. The counselors quickly respond to the reports, investigate the alleged cases of children and families with necessary services.

This paper aims at the improvement of the understanding of child's rights and how the safety net, as the advocator for abused and neglected children, is functioning in Korea.