This photo shows an empty after-school child care classroom at an elementary school in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 6, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of parents of children with developmental disabilities are being forced to quit their jobs to take care of their children due to the failing public daycare system following the coronavirus spread.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea conducted a survey of 1,174 parents of children with developmental disabilities last month, 20.5 percent of whom said that one of the spouses had to quit their job in order to take care of their children.
“Parents are facing extreme difficulties to retain their jobs because of childcare needs,” the council said.
Out of 1,174 parents, 274 had been using after-school services for young students with developmental disabilities between the ages of 12 and 17.
Following the coronavirus, 45.6 percent (125 people) had to quit the service, because the facilities had shut down (74.4 percent, 93 people), or due to concerns over infection (22.4 percent, 28 people).
Another 62.4 percent of disabled persons have been shut off from rehabilitation services due to COVID-19 pandemic that caused the facilities to close down.
Job rehabilitation services, daytime activity services, and welfare centers for the disabled have also mostly shut down.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
