[Solidarity Statement] “We Welcome the Ministry of Education’s Decision to Support Students with a Migrant Background Without Discrimination. The Ministry of Health and Welfare Must Also Promptly Implement Non-Discriminatory Support Policies for Children”
On 8 October 2020, in reply to a question during the National Assembly audit of state affairs, the Minister of Education stated that the Ministry would issue guidelines allowing city and provincial offices of education to provide support payments to students of foreign nationality.
In 2020 the government prepared a fourth supplementary budget and began selective support for vulnerable groups suffering from the renewed spread of COVID-19. Among these measures, the “Special Child Care Support Policy” is explained as a payment of KRW 200,000 per child to preschool children and elementary school students, in order to ease the care burden on parents that increased with school and daycare closures. The “Remote Learning Support” policy is explained as a payment of KRW 150,000 per middle school student, in order to ease the economic burden on households caused by middle school closures and remote education.
The problem is that these policies did not apply to children of foreign nationality, who attend schools and daycare centers and face the same difficulties as Korean children. As of 2019, there were 76,190 registered foreign children aged 0 to 14 living in Korea long term (Statistics Korea, “Status of Registered Foreigners by Region and Age”). If unregistered foreigners are included, the number would be even larger. Although schools had always taught students multicultural education free of discrimination, they expressed great shock and concern that the “home communication letter” made students experience discriminatory treatment based on nationality at first hand.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that States Parties shall respect the rights set forth in the Convention within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status of the child or of his or her parent or legal guardian (Article 2). The Child Welfare Act likewise stipulates the principle of non-discrimination: “Children shall grow up without being subjected to discrimination of any kind based on the sex, age, religion, social status, property, disability, place of birth, race, etc. of themselves or their parents” (Article 2).
It is regrettable that, in paying KRW 150,000 to KRW 200,000 to each child, the government did not explain this as protecting children’s rights to education and survival and other rights that maintain children’s dignity as human beings. Nevertheless, the essence of the child care allowance and the remote learning support must be to protect the rights of children who are made even more vulnerable by the disaster of COVID-19, and the rights of children must be guaranteed equally to all children within the jurisdiction of the Republic of Korea.
We warmly welcome the fact that, under the policy of the Ministry of Education, it has become possible for offices of education to pay support only to “students” attending schools under their jurisdiction. However, the government still has not answered whether the Special Child Care Allowance paid by the Ministry of Health and Welfare could be extended, nor what support measures there will be for school-age children who do not belong to a school. Viruses do not distinguish between borders and races. We demand that the government, even now, carry out support policies free of discrimination so that children who grow up on the soil of the Republic of Korea do not experience discrimination and exclusion.
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Organizations
난민인권네트워크 [TFC(The First Contact for Refugee) 공익법센터 어필, 공익변호사와 함께하는 동행, 공익사단법인 정, 공익인권법재단 공감, 공익인권센터 드림(DREAM), 국제난민지원단체 피난처, 글로벌호프, 난민인권센터, 동두천난민공동체, 동작FM, 사단법인 두루, 서울온드림교육센터, 수원글로벌드림센터, 순천이주민지원센터, 아시아의 친구들, 아시아평화를향한이주MAP, 이주여성을위한문화경제공동체 에코팜므, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 의정부 EXODUS, 이주민지원센터친구, 천주교 제주교구 이주사목센터 나오미, 재단법인 동천, 재단법인 화우 공익재단, 제주평화인권연구소 왓, 파주 EXODUS, 한국이주인권센터]
이주배경 아동·청소년 기본권 향상을 위한 네트워크 (공익변호사와 함께 하는 동행 / 공익인권법재단 공감 / 동두천 가톨릭센터 / (사)한국이주민건강협회 희망의친구들 / 사단법인 두루 / 성동 외국인노동자 센터 / 아시아의 창 / 아시아인권문화연대 / 안산시 글로벌청소년센터 / 외국인·이주노동운동 협의회 / 외국인·이주노동자 인권을 위한 모임 / 이주노동희망센터 / 이주민센터 친구 / 이주와인권연구소 / 재단법인 동천 / 천주교 의정부교구 이주사목위원회 파주 EXODUS / 터 / 한국이주여성인권센터)
국경없는친구들, 난민인권센터, 다산인권센터, 동두천 베타니아, 두레방, 문화나눔다가치, 민주사회를 위한 변호사모임 아동인권위원회, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 사)너머, 성공회 용산 나눔의 집, 수원이주민센터, 아시아의 창, 아시아의 친구들, 아시아 평화를 향한 이주MAP, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 원곡법률사무소, 이주민방송mwtv, 이주민센터친구, 이주민지원공익센터 감동, 이주와 인권 연구소, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 재단법인 동천, 정만천하 이주여성협회, 천주교 제주교구 이주사목(나오미)센터
Individuals
Darwish Udaya Rai 강다영 강세민 강슬기 강은진 강이슬 강준석 고미경 고아롱 고은아 공윤영 금문 김광숙 김루시아 김미선 김문영 김성은 김우정 김은정 김인성 김재왕 김정우 김조이스 김지예 김진 김진 김철효 김태정 김현아 김효주 도티옌완 류다솔 무삽 민경자 박성한 박성호 박영아 박진우 박진철 박현진 박후남 서채완 석경숙 설윤석 성유진 성주은 손지원 신경숙 신정식 아승언 안석배 양희철 염형국 오대남 오영식 오춘자 오희수 우삼열 원선영 유은경 유혜심 윤다솔 윤순녀 윤연 이기준 이미현 이민호 이병수 이선빈 이영은 이예현 이용성 이응자 이재홍 이정훈 이제호 이주언 이주연 이주영 이지영 이지영 이진혜 이현덕글라라 이현창 이혜련 장동성 전수환 정다혜 정동헌 정우준 정지윤 정혜실 조병길 조혜인 진영찬 진옥화 천주교동두천성당 이상민신부 최미혜 최선희 최순옥 최정인 최종덕 턱거리마을순자무화제팀 김흥래 한순미 한재랑 한황화 향남 공감의원 이선웅 허란행 황선영 황지은