Three years have passed since South Korean immigration authorities faced public outrage over the 19-day detention of a three-year-old Mongolian child with his father. Surveillance camera footage that went viral at the time showed the child refusing to eat while crouched in a corner of a room occupied by other adult detainees, while reports found that the child failed to receive medical attention after falling ill.

But while governments have changed and politics have shifted considerably, South Korea has failed to end the practice of child detention, even as international standards have continuously evolved.

The Ministry of Justice insists that