Letters to the Editor, September 30, 2013

Under the Employment Ordinance, employees in a company are entitled to annual leave and to at least one rest day in every seven-day period.

There is also now a debate about a whether there should be a statutory hours law. We exist in a civilised society and want to ensure that working adults get sufficient rest; but what about children?

Typically, their school day is from 8am to around 4pm. After school, most will attend tutorial classes for two hours and have another two hours of homework with as many as 10 assignments.

The additional classes can cover many subjects such as English, Putonghua, maths, and modern learning techniques. I know of friends who arrange over 10 of these kinds of lessons every week for their children, and this can include weekends. Schools may also have additional booster classes on Saturdays. It is not uncommon for some of these children to face a 10-hour working day, with no guarantee of a rest day.

When people talk of child abuse they are often referring to cases of neglect, but I think this level of pressure is another form of child abuse.

We have unions fighting for enhanced labour protection for adults, why is there no one to care about the interests and well-being of children? At least, adults have a choice, but children must obey their parents.