Worker arrested on suspicion of child abuse at home operated by Hong Kong’s Po Leung Kuk charity
- Employee found to have pushed a two-year-old onto play mats multiple times during a random check by operator and social welfare officers
- Review of security camera recordings then found worker had been ‘rough’ on another five children, aged one to three years, kuk says
Police have arrested a 33-year-old employee of a residential home under one of Hong Kong’s leading charities on suspicion of ill-treating six children aged between one and three years.
The woman, who worked at the facility managed by the Po Leung Kuk’s residential childcare service, was found to have pushed a two-year-old onto play mats multiple times in a “rude and inappropriate” manner during a random check by the charity and Social Welfare Department on September 16, according to the operator on Monday.
A review of security camera recordings then found the worker from the baby section had been “rough” on another five children, aged one to three years, mostly pushing them onto play mats at the Causeway Bay home. The findings were handed to police.
The worker was still on probation and immediately suspended, while hospital check-ups found the children were unhurt. The family of the two-year-old was notified, the kuk said.
Police later on Monday said the suspected improper treatment at the facility on Leighton Road concerned three boys and three girls, aged one to three, with the department referring the case on September 20.
The 33-year-old was arrested that day on suspicion of ill-treating or neglecting children after an investigation by the Hong Kong Island regional crime unit.
The woman was later released on bail but must report back to police next month.
The home accommodates children, from newborns to three years old, who lack adequate care because of family problems. It is one of the only two homes in the city that provide residential services for needy children of that age range.