[단독] 학대 가해자에 “아이 잘 있나요?”…천안 11살 못 지킨 제도

In recent events at a church in Chungnam's Daejeon, safety checks on an 11-year-old boy named Chul-myeong were conducted five times, but the extent of the abuse could not be determined. Following the approval of "education exemption" for students, there have been criticisms regarding inadequate protection for children not attending school.

A statement from a lawmaker's office revealed that G Elementary School had conducted safety checks five times on Chul-myeong, who had been exempt from school enrollment since July last year until May this year. The school had visited him in the hospital in July last year and had a phone conversation with him in December last year.

They also spoke to his maternal grandmother and the church pastor regarding his safety. In December last year, they spoke with the church pastor about his situation, and in May this year, they spoke again with both the grandmother and the pastor. However, the school claimed that they did not identify any abuse issues during these interactions.

The Chungnam Education Office stated that due to lack of information sharing between institutions, the school was unaware of Chul-myeong's abuse history. The grandmother had previously assaulted Chul-myeong in March 2024, leading to an investigation and Chul-myeong's transfer to G Elementary School in August 2024. The representative of the largest child abuse prevention organization emphasized the need for a system where protection from the guardians and direct communication between the child and educational authorities could be ensured when the guardians are also suspects of abuse.