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OpinionComment
Grenville Cross
Grenville Cross

Opinion | How a Hong Kong divided by protests can do better by its children in 2020

  • Cases of bullying and peer pressure have taken on added complexity during the protests
  • Hong Kong’s Commission on Children should take a stand on abuse of children by their parents, on cyberbullying and on bullying in school

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Hong Kong’s Education Bureau received 202 complaints of bullying in the 2017-2018 school year, up from 124 in the previous cycle. Photo: Shutterstock
Grenville Cross
The festive season notwithstanding, bullying is rife in Hong Kong. The suppressed sobs of children who have endured physical, psychological or emotional abuse remain as chilling as ever. Hong Kong defines bullying as malicious and repetitive acts which harm others in situations where there is an imbalance of power. Such circumstances are all too common.
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Although the Commission on Children was launched in mid-2018, with a mandate to advance child interests, it has yet to advance plans to combat bullying. In November, its chairman, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, launched the “Caring for our kids” campaign, to promote collaboration between the government, the community and the business sector, and to increase public awareness of child interests.

He assured stakeholders that the government attaches great importance to the physical and mental growth of children, and said the commission would be consulting widely before preparing its work plans. Although this is all well and good, it is no substitute for real progress in 2020, particularly as the way forward is already clear.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) applies to Hong Kong; Article 19 calls for an end to all forms of violence against children. However, the physical punishment of children at home remains prevalent, often administered arbitrarily.

Research in 2014 showed that 63 per cent of children surveyed had been struck by their parents in the previous 12 months, with roughly half describing punishment which constitutes physical abuse. Although banned in schools and correctional institutions, it remains lawful domestically, sometimes causing trauma, depression and even self-harm. The children’s commission must now take a stand.

The UNCRC, moreover, requires that children be protected emotionally as well as physically, yet this is not always happening, given criminal law inadequacies. Although there is no difficulty prosecuting physical harm cases, based on tangible evidence, when a child suffers psychological abuse, perhaps by being persistently frightened, bullied, ignored or scapegoated, or otherwise deprived of love and affection, the culprits invariably evade prosecution.

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