Section 5. Assessment
In 2018, we actively presented opinions on major social issues concerning human rights,
while also delivering recommendations and opinions regarding the development and expansion
of human rights policy tasks and the improvement of laws, policies, systems, and practices
related to human rights.
We monitored human rights policies and systems to define the responsibilities of the central
and local governments for promoting and protecting human rights and to institutionalize
protective instruments for human rights, while also collecting opinions by consulting experts,
human rights and civil society organizations, and relevant government agencies.
To reinforce our competence for human rights policies and research, we focused on
identifying the human rights conditions in Korea by conducting 23 factual surveys, including
those to come up with guidelines to prevent and address hate speech, to abolish the death penalty
and offer alternative punishments, and to improve the personal protection system for North
Korean refugees.
We recommended improving the human rights conditions of female migrant workers to
substantively promote the human rights of the socially vulnerable, and as a result, the inspection
of workplaces hiring migrant workers, the reinforcement of counseling expertise, and the
development of educational materials for sexual harassment prevention will all be carried
out. We also recommended changing the existing practice of suspending the departure of
unregistered migrant children when their parents or guardians failed to pay related fines. Such
migrant children will be allowed to leave Korea even when their parents or guardians have not
paid such fines. Driven by our recommendation to promote the human rights of those vulnerable
to fine dust pollution, persons with disabilities will be included in the fine dust response manual,
and legal requirements for the quality of indoor air at childcare centers will be reinforced.
We recommended improvements for the promotion of the right to health of workers suffering
from pneumoconiosis, and the period of preventive management will be extended and the scope
of supported items will be expanded. Based on our recommendation to promote the right to
health of workers exposed to reproductively harmful factors, workers' right to know will be
further ensured.
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Commission's Major Activities