ANNUAL REPORT 2015 2. ‌diverse forms of human rights violation by their professors and seniors, including verbal, physical, and sexual violence; and 3. lack of protection on their intellectual rights for their own research progress. D. Survey on the human rights situation in group homes for the disabled The number of group homes for the disabled is on a rapid growth surge across the nation. While group homes used to fall in the category of local social rehabilitation centers in the past, they are now included in the category of residential facilities. However, these places were not receiving all the support (including budget) entitled to residential facilities for the disabled. Even worse, they usually had only one social rehab instructor who often has to work literally 24 hours a day being in charge of both diverse program operations and the administrative work concerned. In response, the Commission conducted a survey on the human rights situation of the residents and workers in group homes for the disabled from March to October. As a result, the Commission found that just one social rehab instructor had to cover everything in the group homes, from providing everyday care for the residents to supporting local community programs, even on weekends in some cases. And when their caretaker goes on a day off, residents in some group homes were left on their own without any necessary support, exposing themselves to various risks. In short, social rehab instructors and residents were both situated in the dead zone of human rights. Therefore, based on the findings through the survey, the Commission came up with policy proposals to revitalize smaller facilities in local communities and promote social integration of the disabled. E. Survey ‌ on the situation of environmental right protection in public projects and research to make improvements The Commission received continued complaints from Buan, Miryang, and Gangjeong regarding environmental rights protection. In response, it selected the “situation of civil rights protection, identification of human rights issues, and highlighting emerging aspects of human rights in large-scale projects” as a major task in the research and development of a new human rights agenda (Performance Target IV-4) in the 4th Action Plan for Human Rights Promotion (2015-2017). 44 | National Human Rights Commission of Korea