damages done to unborn babies due to occupational causes, in the context of protection of unborn
babies and their rights; and if a health damage done to an unborn baby of a pregnant worker is
excluded from the coverage of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance benefits although
a pregnant worker's miscarriage is recognized as an occupational accident, this practically passes
all liabilities to the female workers who are not responsible for their children's health problems
and may constitute discrimination against those female workers.
108. The Government should map out the measures to protect the health of pregnant
workers and their unborn children. In case a pregnant worker's unborn child suffers a
health damage due to the worker's work during pregnancy, the Government should
provide medical support to both the worker and the child.
Issue 30. Wage gap between the workers in child-rearing facilities and
those in group homes
109. ‘Child-rearing facility’ and ‘group home’ are two types of child welfare facilities. A
child-rearing facility is to provide children subject to protection with institutional protection and
care, vocational training and other services for their self-reliance, while a group home is to
provide children subject to protection with protection, care and services for their self-reliance in a
home-like residential environment. Child-rearing facilities and group homes simply differ from
each other in the numbers of children they protect but are practically the same in their purposes.
They are also the same, in terms of the qualification requirements for their staff, the procedural
requirements for their establishment, temporary discontinuance and closing, the procedures of
admission and discharge of eligible children and the standards on administrative dispositions and
administrative fines. In addition, group homes (with fewer than 8 children subject to protection)
and child-rearing facilities with fewer than 10 children subject to protection have the same
standards concerning the staff allocation. The tendency is that the number of children in childrearing facilities has been decreasing while the number of children in group homes keeps
growing.
110. Nevertheless, the MOHW has applied different labor cost standards for the staff in
child-rearing facilities and the staff in group homes. Specifically, the workers in child-rearing
facilities are paid under the Guideline on the Labor Cost for the Staff in Social and Welfare
Facilities which recognizes pay steps, whereas this guideline is not applied to the workers in
group homes and their wage is determined on an annual basis. In 2018, the subsidized labor
cost per group home worker was KRW 24,948,000 per year, which is merely 80.9% of the
annual wage under the 2018 Guideline on the Labor Cost for the Staff in Social and Welfare
Facilities which covers the workers in child-rearing facilities.
111. In order to help the workers in group homes, who are working to protect and take care
of children with the same job qualifications as the workers in child-rearing facilities, develop
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