2,830,000 KRW. Moreover, private education spending gaps among social classes are
huge as households with incomes higher than 7 million KRW spend 8.8 times more than
households with incomes lower than 1 million KRW causing not only difference in
immediate education opportunity but also social gap in eventual job opportunity.
Paragraph 288 of the Government’s replies notes that “it will be necessary to review the
policy and national financial capacity to lessen education expenses borne by families
from mid- and long-term perspectives.” Taking into account the current private
education expenses an immediate review of the public education policy is needed in
order to improve the quality of public education.
2.
Domestic Violence and the Rights of Child (198-202)
24. Domestic violence incidences are either handled as a criminal case or a family
protection case. However, most of them are reviewed as a family protection case even in
the case it is handled as a criminal case the prosecution rate is low and usually the
offenders receive a suspension from prosecution on the condition that the offender
receives counselling or endure a summary trial. Even though the prosecution rate is
higher than total criminal case’s average rate, it fails to reflect the characteristics of
domestic violence. Majority of the prosecuted cases are even settled through fines. In
2008, 4,833 cases were sent to family court. Taking into account the fact that family
protections cases take 4 to 5 months to proceed, it is questionable whether the protection
of victims from further violence from offenders can be effective.
25. Suspension of prosecution on the condition of counselling has the advantage of a
speedier proceeding than protection order procedures, but it should be limited to
relatively light offences or cases where counselling is deemed to be effective. Family
protection order should be adjudicated to cases that necessitate protection measures
other than counselling. Serious and repeated domestic violence should be sanctioned
through criminal punishment which in reality is relatively rare.
26. Tact-finding and securing evidence are difficult for cases of domestic violence as
offences are usually covertly committed over a long period of time. The 2006 UN
Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children notes that laws established to
fight violence against women are useless unless application and enforcement of the law
is granted, and can be enhanced by gender sensitive training of law enforcement
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