National Human Rights Commission of Korea Annual Report 2022
On the last day, November 30, the focus shifted to the theme of “The Current Situation
of Children’s Rights and Future Challenges.” The Commission presented its initiatives in
promoting children’s rights and explored the directions and challenges that need to be addressed
in order to effectively implement the principles outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
C. Rights of Older Persons
Monitoring to Assess Human Rights Protection in Elderly Care Facilities
The Commission conducted monitoring of elderly care facilities to assess the human rights
situation of elderly residents and establish a monitoring system.
The monitoring process was conducted in 11 facilities located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do
Province during the months of August and September. A monitoring team consisting of 22
members, including experts in elderly protection, facility staff, and government officials, was
assembled for this purpose. Their focus was to assess the human rights protection system within
the facilities and the measures implemented to safeguard human rights in light of the COVID-19
situation. While no significant cases of human rights violations or abuse were identified during
the monitoring period, it was observed that efforts for institutional improvement aimed at
promoting the human rights of elderly residents had not fully trickled down to the operational level.
On December 15, a session was held to announce the results and a workshop was conducted
to strengthen the capacity of facility staff in promoting human rights. The objective was to share
the findings of the monitoring and enhance the staff’s competence, with the aim of preventing
human rights violations in elderly care facilities.
Older Persons Human Rights Forum
The Commission established the Older Persons Human Rights Forum in 2021 to facilitate
public discourse on various issues related to the rights of older persons in Korea’s rapidly aging
society and to explore solutions for major challenges. The forum comprised 85 members,
including professors specializing in older persons and their human rights, as well as researchers
from government-funded institutions. Since its establishment, the forum has held four regular
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