Hong Kong’s kindergartens and schools need better guidance on suspected child abuse, government watchdog says
- Office of Ombudsman says ‘government should support the education institutions with clearer guidelines as well as taking pre-emptive actions’
- Recommendation come as reports of child abuse increase from 882 cases in 2008 to 1,064 in 2018 – around 20 per cent
Hong Kong’s kindergartens and schools need clearer guidance from the government on how to handle suspected child abuse, the city’s ombudsman has said, amid an increase of cases involving the harm or neglect of minors.
“In some grievous cases, the abused child was left in a vegetative state or was allegedly battered to death. The problem has caused wide public concern,” said Ombudsman Winnie Chiu Wai-yin in a direct investigation report released on Tuesday.
“The government should support the education institutions with clearer guidelines as well as taking pre-emptive actions to prevent such incidents.”
Reports of child abuse in Hong Kong have been on the rise in recent years, with 882 cases in 2008 and 1,064 cases in 2018 – an increase of around 20 per cent.
The government should support the education institutions with clearer guidelines