Hong Kong's new poverty line wins wary support

After years of pleading and advocacy from grass-roots voices, Hong Kong is about to have its first official poverty line, decided by a panel of experts at the newly re-established Commission on Poverty, and accepted by the government.

The move recognises that poverty is an issue: the soaring property prices, rising inflation, the narrow range of jobs available and the increasing impossibility of climbing up the social ladder have made Hong Kong a tougher and colder concrete jungle for its poorest citizens.

The launch of an official poverty line, expected to be set at half of the median household income, has been met with approval and even hurrahs from those in the social work and welfare sectors, who see it as an important step on the road to tackle the city's growing number of poor families.

But it would be a mistake to think the poverty line is the ultimate measure of poverty. Experts stress that it should only be the first step towards more poverty-oriented research, better planning on social spending and long-term welfare measures.

Nelson Chow Wing-sun, a professor at the University of Hong Kong and an expert in social security, welfare and poverty, said: "To think that having a poverty line is going to define everything and tell us everything about the poor is wrong. A poverty line actually doesn't measure poverty. It only tells us about income disparity."

However, measuring income disparity does reveal who the poor are: the demographics of the problem, Chow said.