Hong Kong must do more for families going through divorce
Moses Mui says a lack of dialogue with the courts means Hong Kong's social services are letting down the many divorcing couples and their children who need mediation and counsel
Like many other developed urban societies, Hong Kong is facing a growing incidence of family breakdown. Our divorce rate has grown drastically in the past three decades.
In 1991, there were 14.8 divorces per 100 marriages registered in the year; by 2011, that figure had risen to 33.6, which means that for every 10 couples who got married that year, three other couples got divorced.
The Singapore experience highlights gaps in our support for divorcing couples and their children
Last year, the number of divorce cases filed in court reached a record high of 21,125.
In many cases, a divorce is simply a mutual and peaceful choice made between two adults; it is their personal affair, and need not concern the rest of us.
However, if children are involved, the rest of society cannot just look away. If the breakdown of a family relationship is stressful for the adults, it can be traumatising and even permanently damaging for growing children.
It is not uncommon to see children whose parents are getting or have become divorced suffering such feelings as guilt or abandonment.
In Hong Kong, divorcing or divorced families needing support usually obtain social services through the Integrated Family Service Centres run by the Social Welfare Department. Although the government describes them as child-centred, family-focused and community-based, in practice, these centres operate without any links to the court system that deals with many aspects of divorce, such as custody, visiting rights and payments of child maintenance.
