Disabled children face higher risk of homicide: data

A child suffering from a rare genetic disorder known as Bartter syndrome that affects the kidneys / Courtesy of Miral Welfare Foundation

Disabled children in Korea are increasingly falling victim to violence, data showed Friday. Murder and other forms of intentional harm have emerged as the sixth leading cause of death for this vulnerable group, raising alarm over their safety and protection.

Prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence on Wednesday for a woman accused of killing her elementary school-aged son, who had an intellectual disability.

The woman had been raising her child alone after a divorce.

In November last year, she murdered her son in a parked car on a rural road in Gimje, North Jeolla Province. She turned herself in immediately after killing her child, saying, "Life was too hard. I wanted to send my son first and then follow him."

As such tragedies continue, data shows that children disabled children are significantly more likely to die from murder than their nondisabled peers.

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Rehabilitation Center, 6.1 out of every 100,000 disabled children aged 0 to 9 died due to intentional harm, including murder, in 2022 — making it the sixth leading cause of death for this group.

Over the past seven years, an average of 5.9 out of every 100,000 disabled children were killed annually — 8.0 in 2016, 7.5 in 2017, 3.5 in 2018, 10.0 in 2019, 3.2 in 2020 and 3.1 in 2021.

In comparison, only 0.8 out of every 100,000 children in the same age group were victims of murder in 2022, underscoring that disabled children face a nearly sixfold higher risk of being killed.

While statistics alone do not detail the exact circumstances of each case, many incidents are believed to involve parents or guardians, such as the recent case in Gimje.

Reports also show a sharp rise in abuse against disabled children and teenagers.

According to the annual abuse report from the National Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 133 cases of abuse involving disabled individuals aged 17 or younger were recorded in 2020.

As of 2023, the number had nearly doubled to 263, marking a 98 percent increase.

In terms of perpetrators, acquaintances were the most common abusers, accounting for 20.9 percent or 297 cases, followed by staff at social welfare facilities at 234 cases and fathers at 143 cases.

"In Korea, welfare is based on an application system, which often leaves those most in need, especially those who are also typically the most vulnerable to information gaps, unaware of what help is available or how to access it," Chung Ick-joong, a professor of social welfare at Ewha Womans University, said.

"It’s crucial for the government and local authorities not only to provide information but also to actively identify children and families in need of support."