Mr. A (28), who lives in Gwangju, gave birth to his fourth son on August 21, 2021.



It was a moment when both the baby and the mother should be blessed, but the face of Mr. A, who was in charge of four children alone, was dark.



Neither the biological father of the children born before nor the biological father of the fourth child gave any financial or psychological help in raising them, and they were not even contacted.



A, who was diagnosed with intellectual disability a long time ago, has lived a difficult life relying on basic living expenses of around 800,000 won per month without having a job.



He sometimes took care of the children from his mother, who raised him alone, but his mother was also not well off.



Mr. A was sentenced by the court to 8 months in prison and 2 years probation in November 2021 for neglecting his 3 children, and in the meantime, he neglected to take care of his 4th baby again.



After he gave the baby only the 1st dose of BCG, he did not receive any other required vaccinations, including hepatitis B, tetanus, whooping cough, pneumococcal and influenza.



In early September 2021, when the baby was less than 20 days old, he ran away for a month after leaving the baby to his mother, saying, "Please look after it for just one day."



Her mother contacted her several times, but she turned away saying "send her up for adoption."



In our society, pregnant women in difficult circumstances are temporarily sheltered in unmarried mother facilities.



After giving birth, you can use child care services at low cost through community centers and organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and help with child support claims, but Mr. A did not know this and just avoided it.



In the end, Mr. A was again handed over to trial for violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment/neglect), and this time he could not avoid imprisonment.



Gwangju District Court Criminal 2nd Deputy Chief Judge Park Min-woo announced today (17th) that he sentenced Mr. A to one year in prison and ordered him to complete a 40-hour child abuse treatment program.



Judge Park mentioned the provisions of the Child Welfare Act that 'the interests of children must be considered first in all activities related to children'.



"Mr. A acted irresponsibly even though he had the responsibility to raise the victim healthy and happy more than anyone else," he said.



He also said, "It is questionable whether imposing a heavy sentence on the only mother of the victim is in the interests of the victim."



He judged, "Even if the possibility is small, it seems desirable to have the last hope that Mr. A will take care of the children with affection and interest through correction, so that the mother's touch can be reached as soon as possible."



(Photo = Yonhap News)