Surge in abused children going into foster homes

Social workers blame flaws in system for 76pc rise in cases

The number of children who have lost their homes because of abusive parents has surged by almost 76 per cent in the past three years, a Sunday Morning Post investigation has found.

From the start of this year to last week, 144 victims of child abuse had been put into foster families to protect them from their parents, Social Welfare Department (SWD) figures show. This is 75.6 per cent more than the 82 cases in the same period in 2002.

'Domestic abuse in general has increased greatly in the past three years. It all has to do with the poor economy and the stress it puts on the family. In addition, people have become more aware of abuse and are more willing to report the problem,' a departmental spokesman said. The number of children pulled out of homes because of domestic violence in general could be even higher.

According to the department's most recent figures, 177 child abuse cases were reported in the first quarter of this year. More than 82 per cent involved physical or sexual abuse. In 73 per cent of cases the abuser was a parent, step-parent or grandparent. A total of 841 cases of spousal abuse - 85 per cent being physical violence cases - were recorded.

Social workers put the blame for the increase in child abuse victims being put into foster care on the government more than the economy.

'Usually the abuse involves only one parent so custody is automatically granted to the other parent. Putting the child into a foster family only happens to single-parent families or, worse yet, to children who have been abused by both parents,' said Peter Cheung Kwok-che, president of the Social Workers' General Union.