KOREA, Republic of: Children's Rights in UN Treaty Body Reports

Summary: This report extracts mentions of children's rights issues in the reports of all UN Treaty Bodies and their follow-up procedures. This does not include the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child which are available here: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/index.asp

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UN Human Rights Committee

CCPR/C/KOR/4

Last reported: 22 and 23 October 2015
Concluding Observations issued: 3 November 2015

Issues raised:

Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity: The Committee is concerned about: [...] (d) The lack of any mention of homosexuality or sexual minorities in the new sex education guidelines [...]. (para 14)

The State party should strengthen the legal framework to protect LGBTI individuals accordingly, as well as repeal Article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act, avoid the usage of State-owned buildings by private organizations for so-called “conversion therapies”, develop sexual education programs that provide students with comprehensive, accurate and age-appropriate information regarding sexuality and diverse gender identities, and facilitate access to the legal recognition of a gender reassignment. [...] (para 15)

Detention of asylum seekers: While welcoming the enactment of the Refugee Act, Presidential Decree and Regulations in 2013, the Committee is concerned, however, about the absence of any legally prescribed maximum duration for immigration detention, the immigration detention of children, and the poor living conditions in immigration detention facilities (arts. 9 and 24). (para 38)

The State party should limit the period of immigration detention, and ensure that it is used as a measure of last resort, for the shortest appropriate period. It should ensure that children are not deprived of liberty, except as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, taking into account their best interests in accordance with General Comment No. 35. It should also ensure that living conditions in immigration detention centres are in conformity with international standards and subject to regular independent control. (para 39)

Birth registration: The Committee notes with concern that foreigners are expected to approach their embassies to obtain birth registration for their children, which is frequently impossible for asylum-seekers, humanitarian status holders or refugees (art. 24). (para 56)

The State party should ensure that birth registration is available to all children, irrespective of their parents’ legal status and/or origin. (para 57)

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CCPR/C/KOR/CO/3

Last reported: 25 and 26 October 2006
Concluding Observations adopted: 2 November 2006

No specific mention of children's rights

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UN Human Rights Committee: Follow-up

State report

CCPR/C/KOR/CO/3/Add.1

29 February 2008

Regarding Paragraph 12 of the Concluding Observations

Article 10 of the Basic Act on Treatment of Foreigners Residing in Korea, enacted on May 17, 2007 and enforced on July 18, 2007, sets forth the obligations of the central and local governments concerning education, public relations, and other measures in order to prevent discrimination against and protect the human rights of foreigners and their children in Korea. In addition, the Act provides for the establishment of the Foreigner Policy Committee under the Prime Minister for deliberation and coordination of policies on foreigners. The Act also empowers the Minister of Justice to establish and execute a five-year basic plan on policies for foreigners. In sum, the Act provides a framework whereby related government agencies can more closely cooperate in the execution of policies on foreigners including those prohibiting discrimination and abuse of migrant workers and the provision of relief for victims. (paragraph 5)

13. It is strongly viewed that "ensuring equal access to social services and educational facilities" for migrant workers as recommended by the Human Rights Committee in Paragraph 12 of the Concluding Observations falls under the purview of Articles 9 and 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and not the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, we respond to this matter as follows, respecting the recommendation by the Human Rights Committee. The Government guarantees migrant workers' equal access to social services and educational facilities including the four major insurance schemes (i.e. national pension, industrial accident compensation insurance, employment insurance, and health insurance) in accordance with Article 22 (prohibition of discrimination) of the Act on Employment of Foreign Workers stated in Paragraphs 33, 34, and 53 of the Third Periodic Report. Illegal residents are entitled to industrial accident compensation insurance only, not the national pension, employment insurance, or health insurance. In light of this situation, the Government has consistently borne, in part or in whole, the cost of hospitalization and operations of illegal migrant workers and their children since 2005 as part of its efforts to redress the lack of health insurance coverage for them. During the period from January to September 2007 alone, the Government spent KRW 4.7 billion on 3,003 migrant workers or their children not entitled to health insurance.

Regarding Paragraph 13 of the Concluding Observations

15. As mentioned in Paragraph 207 of the Third Periodic Report, Article 2 of the National Human Rights Commission Act and Article 2 of its Enforcement Decree include prisons, juvenile prisons, detention centers, probation facilities, forensic psychiatry institutes, juvenile reformatories, juvenile protection education institution, police station detention facilities, military prisons, protective custody facilities for foreigners, welfare facilities for children, the disabled, and the elderly, mental health facilities, etc. in the scope of detention and protective facilities. People who suffer human rights abuses or discriminatory acts in connection with the performance of duties by these detention and protective facilities may file complaints with the National Human Rights Commission, an independent investigative body. Even in the absence of any complaints from victims, the commissioners, staff, and experts from the National Human Rights Commission are authorized to visit and investigate detention and protective facilities as set forth in Paragraphs 167, 168, and 206 of the Third Periodic Report. The table below sets out complaints involving detention and protective facilities that were received and handled by the National Human Rights Commission from January to November 2007.

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UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

E/C.12/KOR/CO/3

Last reported: 10 and 11 November 2009
Concluding Observations adopted: 19 November 2009

Trafficking: The Committee is concerned that, notwithstanding the fact that State party legislation penalises trafficking not only for prostitution or sexual exploitation but for any purpose of profit, a high number of women and children continue to be trafficked from, through and within the country for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour, especially women workers originally arriving on an E-6 visa (entertainment). The Committee is particularly concerned about the low rate of prosecution and conviction of traffickers (art. 10).

The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to combat trafficking in human beings, especially women and children, for any purpose, by, inter alia:

(a) Strengthening the monitoring of issuances of E-6 visas;

(b) Supporting programmes and information campaigns to prevent trafficking;

(c) Providing mandatory training for law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges on anti-trafficking legislation;

(d) Increasing the provision of medical, psychological and legal support to victims;

(e) Ensuring an effective complaint mechanism for migrant workers, regardless of their immigration status;

(f) Fully investigating cases of human trafficking and ensuring justice. (paragraph 25)

Sex education: The Committee is concerned that, despite mandatory sex education programmes, there is a lack of systematic and accurate education on sexual and reproductive health in schools. The Committee is also concerned that a number of pregnant teenagers drop out of the school system and turn to abortion owing to the stigma attached to unwed mothers.

The Committee recommends that the State party implement its mandatory sex education programme in schools in a systematic manner, and that it include information on sexual and reproductive health and the use of contraceptive methods. The Committee also recommends that the State party provide financial and psychological support for unwed mothers and promote information campaigns to combat deep societal prejudice against them. (paragraph 31)

Education: The Committee is concerned about the high associated costs of education required to be paid by parents. It is also concerned about information regarding the deepening inequality in education and the fact that the chances of entering a high-level university for students are often determined by their parents' ability to afford after-school tutoring or private education.

The Committee recommends that the State party accelerate its efforts to ensure that education is equally accessible to all and without discrimination, on the basis of ability, not financial capacity. It also recommends that the State party, having recognized that excessive expenditure on private education imposes great burdens on the household economy and has been the major cause of decline in quality of life for the middle class, strengthen the public education system and provide financial support to low income families to cover the associated costs of education (art. 13). (paragraph 33)

Mental health: The Committee is concerned at the increase in clinical depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cases among students caused by extreme competition and academic stress (arts. 12, 13).

The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Implement the decision by the Constitutional Court on the limitation of functioning hours of privately run cram schools;

(b) Set up pilot alternative learning models;

(c) Educate parents and the general public about the long-term effects of the overburdening of children with school work;

(d) Curb the operation of private night schools and cram schools;

(e) Reassess the Iljegosa system, which creates unnecessary competition between schools and limits the choice of study paths in higher education. (paragraph 34)
 

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UN Committee against Torture

CAT/C/KOR/CO/3-5

Adopted by Committee: 11May 2017

Published: 11 May 2017

Issues Raised:

The Committee welcomes the adoption of the Act on the Protection of Children and Youths from Sexual Violence, in 2010; Amendment to the Criminal Act establishing trafficking in human beings as a crime with a view to implementing the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (the Palermo Protocol), in 2013; Adoption of the Act on Special Cases of Punishment for Child Abuse Crimes, in 2014 and its revision expanding the list of professions in contact with children which are mandatory reporters, in 2016 (para. 4).

Corporal Punishment:

The Committee is concerned that corporal punishment of children remains permitted in the home, in schools, as well as in alternative care and day care settings, in particular in orphanages and child welfare facilities, especially in parts of the country outside the capital city Seoul (arts. 2, 4 and 16) (para.33).

The State party should amend and enact legislation explicitly and clearly prohibiting corporal in all settings, including orphanages and child welfare facilities in all parts of the country and take the necessary measures to prevent it (para. 34).

Asylum seekers and migrants:

While welcoming the adoption of the Refugee Act and the hosting of a large number of refugees and asylum seekers by the State party, the Committee is concerned about the absence of legally prescribed maximum duration of immigration detention and immigration detention of minors (para. 41).

The Committee invites the State party to establish a legally prescribed maximum duration of immigration detention, avoid detaining immigrant minors and apply non-custodial measures for minors (para. 42).

CAT/C/KOR/CO/2

Last reported: 11 and 12 May 2006
Concluding Observations adopted: 18 May 2006

Data collection: The Committee regrets the absence of data, disaggregated by age and sex, on complaints relating to torture and ill-treatment allegedly committed by law-enforcement officials and on the related investigations, prosecutions and penal and disciplinary sentences, as well as statistical data on the number of women and children trafficked for purposes of prostitution. Information is also requested on any compensation and rehabilitation provided to victims. Information is further requested on the results of the studies recommended in paragraphs 14 and 15 above. (paragraph 18)

The two follow-up reports contain no mention of children's rights.

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW/C/SGP/CO/4)

Last reported: 19 July 2011
Concluding Observations published: 29 July 2011

Trafficking and exploitation of prostitution: The Committee is concerned that the State party lacks a comprehensive statute dealing with trafficking of human beings and reiterates its concern about the persistence of trafficking and exploitation of prostitution and the lack of data about these phenomena. It is particularly concerned about women migrant workers, who enter the country under an E-6 entertainment work visa, and foreign wives, who enter the country through international marriage brokerage agencies, as information received indicates that many of these women fall victims to trafficking and exploitation of prostitution. The Committee is also concerned that even though women engaged in prostitution in the State party may have access to counselling centres; these women must prove their status as victims in order not to be prosecuted for the offence of prostitution. Further, the Committee is concerned that the State party has only signed but has not ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Supress and Punish trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. (Paragraph 22)

The Committee reiterating its recommendation (CEDAW/C/KOR/CO/6) to fully implement article 6 of the Convention, urges the State party to:

a) Adopt a comprehensive law on trafficking in human beings and amend relevant legislation, such as the Criminal Code, to include trafficking as an offence;

b) Take measures to enhance its current initial screening procedure of entertainment companies who recruit foreign women and to establish an effective in situ monitoring mechanism of the establishments where women under an E-6 visa work to ensure that they are not being subjected to exploitation of prostitution;

c) Take legislative and other measures to ensure effective implementation of the Marriage Brokerage Control Act, in order to protect foreign women from exploitation and abuse by marriage brokers and traffickers and by their spouses;

d) Review its prostitution policy and relevant legislation, including the Criminal Code, with a view to decriminalizing prostitution and punishing women involved in the sex trade;

e) Take further measures to protect and support women and girls who are victims of trafficking and to address the root cause of trafficking;

f) Take appropriate measures to suppress the exploitation of prostitution of women, including by discouraging the demand for prostitution and provide rehabilitation and economic empowerment programmes for women and girls exploited in prostitution and so facilitate their reintegration into society; and

g) Ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing t he United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

(Paragraph 23)

Education: While taking note of measures that have long been in place such as the Act on Supporting Women and Science Technology to encourage women's participation in non-female traditional fields such as science and technology, the Committee is concerned at the persistence of segregation of fields of study in higher education and vocational training, which ultimately results in sex segregation of the labour market. It is particularly concerned that this segregation is due to the persistence of patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in the society. The Committee is also concerned at the limited information provided during the dialogue regarding the degree of compliance by academic institutions with the 10 hours compulsory course on sexual education for students at schools. (Paragraph 28)

The Committee recommends that the State party enhance its compliance with article 10 and raise awareness on the importance of education for the empowerment of women. It encourages the State party to institute measures to revise textbooks used at all levels to eliminate gender stereotypes and introduce mandatory gender training for teachers in an effort to overcome patriarchal attitudes and gender role stereotypes which create discriminatory barriers to girls' and women's education. The Committee further recommends that girls and women continue to be actively encouraged to choose non-traditional fields of study and professions. It also recommends that the State party establishes an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure that students are provided with the 10 hours compulsory course on sexual education and to consider introducing a more comprehensive, age-appropriate programme on sexual and reproductive health and rights for both girls and boys as a regular part of the curriculum at the basic and secondary levels of the education system. (Paragraph 29)

While noting the State party's legislative and policy efforts such as the Act on Gender Equality in Employment and Support for Work-Family Reconciliation and the Basic Plan on Gender Equality in Employment and Work-Family Reconciliation (2008), as well as other measures to improve the reconciliation of family and work life, the Committee is concerned that domestic and family responsibilities are still primarily borne by women, as reflected in one of the expected outcomes of the Basic Plan, which is the acceleration of the low fertility rate and the consequent interruption of women's careers or their engagement in part-time jobs to meet family responsibilities. It is also concerned at the limited number of men taking parental leave. The Committee is also concerned with the negative impact, in terms of social security benefits, resulting from the increased and on-going conversion of women's contracts from regular workers to non-regular, part-time and/or short-term workers. It is further concerned at the limited number of state-run child care centres, the trend to privatise such facilities and the high fees charged by private child care centres, which make them inaccessible to many working women, particularly those in low income, female-headed households. (Paragraph 32)

The Committee encourages the State party to promote co-responsibility in the domestic sphere and step up its efforts to assist women and men to strike a balance between family and employment responsibilities, inter alia, through further awareness-raising and education initiatives for both women and men on the equal sharing of care of children and domestic tasks, as well as by ensuring that part-time employment is not taken up almost exclusively by women. The Committee urges the State party to strengthen its efforts to improve the provision and affordability of childcare facilities for children of different age groups, particularly those in female headed households, and encourage more men to avail themselves of parental leave. (Paragraph 33)

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

(CEDAW/C/KOR/6)

Reported: 31 July 2007
Concluding Observations adopted: Not stated

Trafficking: The Committee is concerned about the persistence of trafficking and exploitation of prostitution and by the lack of data about these phenomena. While welcoming that victims of forced prostitution are entitled to rescue, protection and rehabilitation, the Committee is concerned that so-called voluntary prostitutes are subject to prosecution under the law, while first-time clients of prostitutes do not face punishment if they attend the "John School" programme, designed to educate such first-time offenders. The Committee is further concerned about the continued widespread phenomenon of Wonjokyuje, in which adolescent girls engage in a sexual relationship with older men for money. (paragraph 19)

The Committee urges the State party to fully implement article 6 of the Convention, to collect and analyse data from the police and international sources and to prosecute and punish traffickers and those who exploit prostitution. The Committee calls upon the State party to increase its efforts at international, regional and bilateral cooperation with countries of origin, transit and destination in order to prevent trafficking. The Committee also encourages the State party to consider ratifying the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementary to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The Committee further calls upon the State party to review its law on prostitution in order to ensure that women in prostitution are not criminalized. The Committee recommends the State party take measures to facilitate the reintegration of prostitutes into society and to provide rehabilitation and economic empowerment programmes for women and girls exploited in prostitution. The Committee also recommends the State party provide adolescent girls with educational programmes to stop Wonjokyuje. (paragraph 20)

Stereotypes: The Committee notes with concern the persistence of patriarchal attitudes and deep-rooted stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society, especially in rural areas, which are reflected in women's academic and professional choices, their limited participation in public and political life and in their disadvantaged position in the labour market. The Committee is also concerned that these stereotypes are a root cause of violence against women. (paragraph 25)

Discrimination: The Committee calls upon the State party to take sustained and systematic measures to overcome persistent and deep-rooted stereotypes that are discriminatory to women. Such measures should include awareness-raising and public educational campaigns, aimed in particular at men and boys, including women and girls, with a view to eliminating stereotypes associated with traditional gender roles in the family and in society, in accordance with articles 2 (f) and 5 (a) of the Convention. The Committee calls upon the State party to specifically target rural areas in the implementation of such measures and to regularly monitor and evaluate their impact. The Committee calls on the State party to further encourage diversification of the educational choices of boys and girls, bearing in mind their subsequent opportunities and chances in the labour market. It also calls upon the State party to address stereotypes, the unequal power relations between women and men and women's position of inferiority, which perpetuate discrimination against women, including violence against women. The Committee recommends that the State party encourage the media to project a positive image of women and of the equal status and responsibilities of women and men in the private and public spheres. (paragraph 26)

Age of marriage: While noting that an amendment to the Civil Act to bring the legal age of marriage into compliance with the Convention is before the National Assembly, the Committee notes with concern that the minimum legal age of marriage remains at 16 for females and 18 for males. (paragraph 35)

The Committee urges the State party to work towards the speedy enactment of the amendment of the Civil Act to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls to 18 in order to bring it into line with article 16, paragraph 2, of the Convention, the Committee's general recommendation 21 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. (paragraph 36)

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

CERD/C/KOR/CO/15-16
Last reported: 21 / 22 August 2012
Concluding Observations issued: 23 October 2012

Issues raised:

Law: The Committee notes that the Ministry of Justice submitted the draft bill of the Discrimination Prohibition Act to the National Assembly in 2007, in compliance with previous recommendations of the Committee. It regrets that the bill was discarded when the 17th session of the National Assembly came to an end in May 2008. It notes the information received from the State party that a council of experts was established to continue the consideration of the Discrimination Prohibition Act. Para 7.

The Committee urges the State party to take immediate action on the finalization and adoption of the Discrimination Prohibition Act or other comprehensive legislation to prohibit racial discrimination, in line with article 4 of the Convention. The Committee recalls that the same recommendation was made in 2009 by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (E/C.12/KOR/CO/3), and in 2011 by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW/C/KOR/CO/7) and by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/KOR/CO/3-4).

Birth registration: While noting the increased efforts made by the State party in this area through the establishment of the Nationality and Refugee division of the Ministry of Justice and the increase in the number of people who have been granted refugees status during the past years, the Committee notes with concern the very low acceptance rate as compared to the world average. The Committee received information that the number of public officials handling refugee applications remains low and that as of May 2012, there were more than 1,200 applications pending. Moreover, according to the information received, the procedure still fails to guarantee due process of law as interpreters are not adequately provided and the Refugee Recognition Committee handles appeal procedures without conducting hearings involving the applicants. The Committee remains concerned about challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers in terms of livelihood, employment, access to public services, education and citizenship. Of particular concern is the lack of proper birth registration of the children of refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons. Para 13.

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure unhindered and equal access to official procedures for lodging asylum applications at ports of entry, thereby upholding the principle of non-refoulement; take all necessary measures so that refugees and asylum seekers enjoy the right to work and that they and their families enjoy an adequate livelihood, housing, healthcare and education; and establish a system and procedures to properly register the birth of children of refugees, humanitarian status holders and asylum seekers born in the State party, as already recommended by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2011 (CRC/C/KOR/CO/3-4), and of children of undocumented migrants. The Committee requests that the State party, in its next report, provide the total number of  applications for refugee status per year, broken down by those rejected and those accepted.

The Committee further recommends that the procedure for recognizing refugee status conform to international standards and be further implemented, including by appointing more officials to review the applications. Due process of law should be respected at all stages of the process, inter alia, by providing interpreters for the applicants and guaranteeing their right to be heard during the appeal procedures which concern them.

Trafficking: The Committee welcomes the State party’s intention to ratify the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the establishment of the Support Centre for Female Victims of Forced Prostitution. However, the Committee is concerned by reports received, according to which, migrant women continue to be trafficked and subjected to forced prostitution through various routes, including through abuses of the E-6 visa granted to work in the entertainment industry. The Committee shares the concerns expressed and the recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW/C/KOR/CO/7). Para 16.

The Committee urges the State party to ratify the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and to revise the Criminal Code and adopt national legislation which allows prosecution and adequately punishes the perpetrators of trafficking, provides reparations to victims and ensures that fear of expulsion does not deter reporting of such crimes. The Committee recommends that the State party review the current E-6 visa regime, and exercise the necessary control on all categories of actors, including private businesses, related to it.

Act: The Committee notes the Multicultural Families Support Act, but is concerned with the definition of multicultural families which, at present, limits itself to the union between a Korean citizen and a foreigner, while excluding other forms of multicultural families such as those composed of two foreign partners. The Committee is concerned that the Multicultural Families Support Act excludes a large number of the people present in the country and hampers their integration in the State party’s society, thereby creating de facto discriminatory situations which have particularly heavy consequences on the children and foreign spouses. Para 17,

The Committee recommends that the State party broaden the definition of multicultural families to include unions between foreigners or inter-ethnic unions in order to fully integrate a large number of the people present in its territory who, at present, cannot benefit from the support provided for under the act. The Committee urges the State party to pay particular attention to the children of such families who bear the heaviest consequences of the lack of integration.

 

 

 

 

CERD/C/KOR/CO/14

Last reported: 9 and 10 August 2007
Concluding Observations adopted: 17 August 2007

No mention of child rights specifically

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UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Follow-up

CERD/C/KOR/CO/14/Add.1

23 January 2009

Nationality: The Korean Government, in accordance with article 5 of the Act, is drafting the National Action Plan for Foreigners, which is to be finalized and come into effect in the latter half of this year.

Further measures, including legislation, to prohibit and eliminate all forms of discrimination against foreigners, including migrant workers and children born from inter-ethnic unions, and to guarantee the equal and effective enjoyment by persons of different ethnic or national origin of the rights set out in article 5 of the Convention. (pargraph 3)

The Korean Government is making efforts to accommodate the 'prohibition of discrimination against foreigners and their children', which is stipulated in article 10 of the Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea, into the National Action Plan for Foreigners. (paragraph 4)

[In the case of divorce], Even if the end of the relationship is attributed to the foreign female spouse, she may keep her legal residence status if there is a need for her to raise children or support parents. (paragraph 16)

The Korean Government has been providing various services aimed at facilitating the settlement and integration of married immigrants into Korean society:

- The Multi-cultural Family Support Centre provides various services for married immigrants such as education on Korean language and culture, consulting on the education of children and distributing information in the form of magazines, leaflets and booklets on life in Korea. (paragraph 20)

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UN Committee on Migrant Workers

No report available

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UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

CRPD/C/KOR/CO/1

Adopted by the committee: 30 September 2014

Published by the Committee: 29 October 2014

Issues raised:

Girls with disabilities:

It is further concerned at the difficulties faced by women and girls with disabilities in participating in lifelong education programmes and at the lack of sufficient support for women with disabilities during pregnancy and child bearing (para.13).

Protecting the integrity of the person:

The Committee is concerned about cases of forced sterilization of women with Disabilities despite legal provisions prohibiting the practice. It is also concerned about the absence of information on investigationsundertaken by the State party on this matter (para.33).

The Committee urges the State party to take measures to eradicate the practice of forced sterilization, including by raising awareness of the rights of women and girls with disabilities among their families,in communities and within institutions, and by ensuring that mechanisms providing protection against forced sterilization are effective and accessible. The Committee recommends that the State party carry out investigations into recent and current cases of forced sterilization (para.34).

Respect for home and the family:

The Committee is concerned that support services provided to families of children with disabilities is limited to low-income families that include persons with severe disabilities.Due to short supply, even such services are insufficient. The Committee is furthermore concerned that the Government provides more subsidies and benefits to families adopting children with disabilities than to their families of origin, which encourages the abandonment of children with disabilities by their own families, in particular by single mothers who face compounded stigmatization, and denies the child’s right to family (para.43).

The Committee recommends that the State party provide the legal basis for,and implement, comprehensive policies to enableparents, including single mothers, of children with disabilities to receive support to raise their child within the family and to ensure the child’s rights to family and to participation in the community on an equal basis with other children (para.44).

Education:

The Committee is concerned that, despite the existence of an inclusive education policy, students with disabilitiesin regular schools return to special schools. It is further concerned about reports that students with disabilities enrolled in regular schools fail to receive education that is suitable totheir impairment-related needs (para.45).

The Committee recommends that the State party: Conduct research into the effectiveness of the current education inclusion policy; Step up efforts to provide inclusive education and reasonable accommodation in schools and other learning institutions by providing, inter alia, assistive technology and support in classrooms, accessible and adapted educational materials and curricula, and accessible school environments;Intensify training for education personnel,including teachers and administrators in regular schools (para.46).

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UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances

No report available

Countries

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