The number of abandoned children exceeded 1,000 per year until 2000, and then fell below 100 in 2022, to 88 in 2023, and then to 30 the following year.
This sharp decline in the number of abandoned children last year, which fell to one-third of the previous year's level, is believed to be influenced by the implementation of the Protected Childbirth System, which guarantees anonymous childbirth for women in crisis pregnancies.
The Crisis Pregnancy Protected Childbirth System is a system that supports women facing difficulties in childbirth and childcare for various reasons to give birth anonymously. The system was established to prevent a series of tragic situations, such as births outside of hospitals, child abandonment, and abortions.
On May 30 last year, just before the system was implemented, a woman in her 20s was arrested for abandoning a newborn baby in a toilet in an apartment building, causing the baby's death. On June 7 of the same year, a woman in her 30s was arrested and sent to the prosecutor's office on suspicion of abandoning her baby in a garbage sorting facility after giving birth. Both women reportedly stated during police investigations that they were “worried about raising the baby alone” and “worried that others would find out about the birth.”
It has been one year since the Protective Childbirth System was implemented to protect the lives of women and babies in crisis. Although the system was launched with the noble intention of preventing child abandonment and ensuring safe childbirth with the support of the state, there are concerns that babies born through anonymous childbirth may have their right to know their parents violated if the parents refuse to acknowledge them, leaving the children unable to learn about their parents for life.
Above all, the reflection period for choosing the Protected Childbirth System, a critical decision for both the woman and the baby, is only seven days after childbirth, leading to on-site voices stating, “It is extremely difficult to persuade crisis pregnant women to raise their babies.” From the baby’s perspective, the time they can hold their mother’s hand is limited to just ‘seven nights.’
Professor Seong Jung-hyun of the Department of Social Welfare at Hyeonseong University emphasized, “Compared to the necessity of implementing the system, the discussion and preparation period was too short, and it is true that the measures taken after deciding on protective childbirth are insufficient. However, since we have already started with the attitude of ‘implement first, prepare later,’ it is necessary to revisit the areas of concern.”
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 299 children were safely born during the first year of the protective childbirth system, which was implemented on July 19 last year. As of June this year, 160 mothers have received counseling from relevant agencies and decided to raise their children themselves. Of these, 107 chose protected childbirth (anonymous childbirth), while 32 opted to register the birth to allow the child to find their parents in the future, even if they did not raise the child themselves, and subsequently placed the child for adoption. Among the mothers who decided to raise their children themselves, 19 initially applied for protected childbirth but later changed their minds. The fact that pregnant women in crisis chose to raise their children themselves more often despite the option of anonymous birth available under the Protected Birth System is significant in itself.
This process is supported by 16 regional counseling centers for pregnant women in crisis nationwide, which help them choose life and find ways to live with their children. Half of these regional counseling centers are operated by the Catholic Church as unmarried parent support institutions.
The Protected Childbirth System is a “last resort”. Voices are saying that helping mothers and children live happily “together” is the true meaning of ‘protection’ and a “national duty.” As the Protected Childbirth System marks its first anniversary, we explored ways to achieve this. It is a “miracle of seven nights” that can hold onto mothers.
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