ACRC Took the Initiative to Protect Rights and Interests of People with Hansen’s Disease by Opening Ombudsman Center for People with Hansen’s Disease

- The Center will protect the rights and interests of people with Hansen’s disease, be dedicated to addressing their grievances about the living conditions and welfare of communities, and build systematic cooperation network with relevant organizations -

(3rd Mar. 2022, ACRC)

In March, the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui, ACRC) opened a center dedicated to grievances of people with Hansen’s disease (Ombudsman Center for People with Hansen’s Disease) designed not only to protect the rights and interests of people with Hansen‘s disease and improve the living conditions and welfare of villages where they reside, but also to specifically counsel their complaints and help resolve issues.

There has been a need for a dedicated organization to provide tailored counseling and resolve grievances of people with Hansen’s disease as many of the villages where they reside have been left neglected for a long time in the society and most of these people’s complaints are complex to tackle because they require policy decisions or involve multiple government ministries and agencies.

Against this background, the ACRC has established the Ombudsman Center for People with Hansen’s Disease and built a cooperation network with relevant bodies, such as the Korean Federation of Hansen Associations, and the Center will be devoted to the resolution of grievances of people with Hansen’s disease by having a dedicated team to provide on-site counseling in the communities where they reside.

We also plan to follow up with a comprehensive plan that Ombudsman Center for People with Hansen’s Disease delivered to each government agency last year for its proactive implementation. Last year, the ACRC conducted fact-finding investigation over 82 villages where people with Hansen’s disease reside in 66 local communities throughout the nation; and developed Comprehensive Plan to Protect Rights and Interests of People with Hansen’s Disease and Improve Living Conditions of the Villages, and advised 9 relevant government ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and 66 local governments in charge for improvement on December 20th.

In addition, organizations related to the disease, such as Korean Federation of Hansen Associations and Korean Hansen Welfare Association, pledged to fully cooperate with ACRC by carrying out the comprehensive improvement plan and playing a bridging role in addressing grievances in each community.

ACRC Chairperson Jeon Hyun-Heui said “with the introduction of the Ombudsman Center for People with Hansen’s Disease, the Commission will thoroughly supervise the implementation of the comprehensive improvement plan and better protect the rights and interests of people with Hansen’s disease by identifying and addressing their grievances in a more aggressive way, such as through on-site visits.