By UCA News reporter
SOUTH KOREA – Catholic dioceses across South Korea are joining forces to provide medical support to undocumented migrant children who lack access to adequate healthcare services in various parts of the country.
The initiative is led by the Migrant Pastoral Committee of Seoul Archdiocese, which signed an agreement with the migrant committee of all Catholic dioceses for the purpose recently.
The Medical Expense Support Project for the Healthy Growth and Development of Undocumented Migrant Children was signed during a meeting of the Migrant Pastoral Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea (CBCK) on Feb 20.
The project is also known as “Wings of Hope” which seeks to build a nationwide support network to offer medical support to the children of undocumented migrant workers aged 0-6 years.
Under the project a child will receive up to 5 million won (US$3,492) for the treatment of critical medical conditions and up to 3 million won (US$2,095) to be allocated for pregnancy and childbirth expenses in a hospital.
Initially, the project period is from February to December of this year, and it can be extended until 2027.
Migrant families can apply for support through each diocese’s migrant committee and receive the benefits once the application is accepted and approved.
Father John Baptist Yoo Sang-hyeok, head of the Migrant Pastoral Committee of Seoul Archdiocese said that the project seeks to address vital medical needs of the children of migrants.
“Undocumented migrant children who are in ‘the blind spot of welfare’ are often not protected from social and physical violence and crime, not to mention educational opportunities, and often do not receive appropriate medical benefits,” the priest said.
“This project aims to thoroughly protect the ‘lives’ of these children, and since one of the most important spirits of the Church is the protection of life, the need for this project is great,” he added.
The Church move came about two weeks after a group of South Korean lawmakers proposed a bill requiring medical institutions to register babies born to undocumented foreign nationals in a bid to protect the rights of children.
The supporters of the bill say that it aims to stop the denial of rights to migrants’ children and allow them to have access to welfare programs including education and health, and to eliminate the risks of children being exposed to crimes like illegal adoption or trafficking.
This report is a translated and edited version of a report published by Catholic Times of Korea on Feb 25, 2025. – UCA News
