Hot Topics: Is the Hong Kong government doing enough to protect vulnerable children from abuse?

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu last month announced the government was to act to make it mandatory for professionals such as teachers and social workers to report suspected cases of child abuse.

The city’s leader is ramping up legislation after a string of high-profile cases involving children shocked the public. There were 1,367 cases of child abuse recorded last year – an increase of nearly 50 per cent on the 940 recorded in 2020. A total of 43 per cent of last year’s cases involved “physical harm or abuse”, and another 32 per cent concerned sexual abuse.

Chris Sun Yuk-han, the secretary for labour and welfare, revealed in September that officials were looking at a three-tier system designed to cover the role of professionals. The identity of childcare professionals who report suspected abuse will be kept confidential.

He said the top tier would concern spotting serious harm or imminent risk of serious injury. These situations must be flagged by professionals – such as teachers, social workers, doctors, nurses and psychologists – to authorities “within a reasonable time”. Otherwise, they could face up to three months in jail and a HK$50,000 fine.

The second tier would involve children at risk of harm or who may have been harmed. When the child’s parents or carers are reluctant to cooperate, then professionals will be “encouraged”, not required, to report the case. The third tier covers cases where ill-treatment is not confirmed, but there is a need to follow up with the family involved.

Priscilla Lui Tsang Sun-kai, a non-official member of the Commission on Children, proposed that Hong Kong should not have these tiers. Instead, she said it should learn from foreign countries where professionals must report suspected child abuse, regardless of seriousness.

“The United States and Australia have established systems for mandatory reporting of all child abuse, not just serious cases,” she said.
Staff writer

Question prompts:

• Using your own knowledge, list TWO groups of children who are more vulnerable to abuse, and explain the potential consequences for victims.

• Some have suggested that it should also be made mandatory for professionals to report cases in the second tier of the proposed three-tier system. To what extent do you agree with this suggestion, and why? Explain using Glossary and Context.

Hong Kong to push ahead with bill on suspected child abuse

Question prompts:

• The children in the cartoon are standing under an umbrella, but why are they still drenched by the rain?

• What does the cartoon suggest about the Hong Kong government’s effectiveness in addressing child abuse?

Children’s home staff in Hong Kong plead guilty to assaults on 1-year-olds

• A tecaher allegedly wrote anonymous letters accusing her superiors and colleagues of mistreating students at Hong Chi Pinehill No 2 School

• Some of the school’s students have severe mental disabilities

Hong Kong police have charged a teacher over allegedly writing anonymous letters that falsely accused her superiors and colleagues of abusing children at a special needs school, sparking an investigation and prompting the education chief to respond.

Tong Yat-man, 48, appeared in Fanling Court on Wednesday afternoon charged with accessing a computer with dishonest intent and wasting officers’ time.

Previously, the special needs school run by the Hong Chi Association, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent bodies involved in care for the mentally disabled was under police scrutiny over suspected mistreatment of students.

The Education Bureau said it had received a raft of complaints against Hong Chi Pinehill No 2 School in Tai Po over allegations of “administrative impropriety” and “inappropriate treatment of students by staff”.

A Chinese-language paper published unverified photos, reportedly provided by parents, that showed a student struggling to remove a jacket thrown over his or her head. Another picture showed someone placing a cloth over a student’s face. The report cited a parent as saying a student had suffered bruises from wrist wraps.

Police said they had received a report from a 44-year-old woman on August 24 alleging her son and three other students, aged 15 to 22, had been mistreated at the school. 

Officers launched an investigation, checking school records and examining 19,000 hours of closed-circuit television footage, he said. But the force found most of the allegations were exaggerated or untrue, and nothing illegal had been discovered at the school

The school offers 64 places for pupils from Primary One to Secondary Six; some have severe mental disabilities, requiring it to sometimes take a more interventionist approach, such as putting sponge gloves on students’ hands, when they display self-harm behaviour.

An Education Bureau spokesman said it had provided schools with guidelines detailing the appropriate use of restraining measures and encouraged them to step up communication with parents.

Citing the guidelines, he said the use of restraint or isolation should only “last a short period of time, the shorter the better, with the appropriate level of response”.

“The student’s personal feeling, dignity and privacy should also be taken care of to ensure no bodily or psychological harm is inflicted,” he said, adding that such methods should not be viewed as punishment.
Staff writer

Question prompts:

• What is the difference between child abuse and the “interventionist approach” mentioned in News? Explain your answer with reference to Glossary and News.

• Should the Education Bureau, Hong Chi Association or the school’s management be held responsible for future similar allegations, and why?

Exhibition highlights stories from survivors of child sexual abuse

• City needs more care centres for toddlers, as both homes taking in young children are hit by scandal

• Authorities are “still looking for suitable sites” to build a new home for children under six years old

Hong Kong welfare authorities are facing intensified calls to set up more care homes for toddlers after abuse scandals at both of the city’s only such facilities.

In the most recent case, two employees of Po Leung Kuk, a 144-year-old charitable organisation, were arrested last month on suspicion of mistreating toddlers at the charity’s children’s home.

In the wake of a previous scandal at the Children’s Residential Home run by the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, former secretary for labour and welfare Law Chi-kwong said in May that authorities were looking for suitable premises for a new residential childcare centre. He said the government would provide opportunities for more operators to run homes for children and improve the quality of care.

A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said authorities were still looking for suitable sites to build a new home for children under six years old. They wanted to try family-based care in a small home setting, he said, with stronger staff support, child development and training elements. Department records showed there were 159 residential care places for toddlers as of the end of March, with an average waiting time of 6.3 months for 2021-22.

Social welfare legislator Tik Chi-yuen said family problems were on the rise in Hong Kong and more children needed care. He urged the government to invite more operators to set up facilities to care for children, which could help improve service standards and take in children affected by wrongdoings at other homes.

“We need a long-term plan,” he said.

Wendy Huang Wen-jie, a community organiser of the NGO, Society for Community Organisation, said the abuse scandals at both children’s homes also indicated problems in government supervision.

Aside from stepping up inspections, she said authorities “should review whether an operator with a record of serious wrongdoings should continue running the service”.
Staff writer

Question prompts:

• What does the average waiting time mentioned in Issue imply? Identify ONE potential long-term problem if the waiting time is not reduced.

• Refer to Wendy Huang Wen-jie’s comments at the end of Issue. To what extent do you agree with her, and why? Explain with reference to Context, News and Issue.

Hot Topics: Can ‘Strive and Rise’ lift up disadvantaged Hong Kong youth?

Context:

• Using your own knowledge, list TWO groups of children who are more vulnerable to abuse, and explain the potential consequences for victims. Children from single-parent families / Children from families with substance abuse / Children with special needs / Orphaned or abandoned children are more vulnerable to abuse. They may suffer physical injuries, and they may have emotional and psychological problems, such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Some have suggested that it should also be made mandatory for professionals to report cases in the second tier of the proposed three-tier system. To what extent do you agree with this suggestion, and why? Explain using Glossary and Context. I agree that any suspected cases of child abuse, even if ill-treatment is not confirmed, should be made aware to authorities as soon as possible so that they can be identified before the children are at actual risk of harm.

Cartoon:

• The children in the cartoon are standing under an umbrella, but why are they still drenched by the rain? There are holes in the umbrella that are allowing water to fall through.

• What does the cartoon suggest about the Hong Kong government’s effectiveness in addressing child abuse? The cartoon, which shows the children in tears as they huddle under the umbrella with the Hong Kong flag, suggests the government is not doing enough to tackle the issue, and that there are too many loopholes in the system that do not protect the children in its care.

News:

• What is the difference between child abuse and the “interventionist approach” mentioned in News? Explain your answer with reference to Glossary and News. In this instance, the interventionist approach refers to preventive measures taken to keep the special needs students safe, such as putting sponge gloves on their hands. However, child abuse refers to physical, sexual or psychological harm, such as suffering from bruises from wrist wraps.

• Should the Education Bureau, Hong Chi Association or the school’s management be held responsible for future similar allegations, and why? The school’s management ought to be held responsible for their negligence in ensuring staff followed the guidelines provided for appropriate restraining measures for students with special needs. In addition, these students may have some difficulty verbally expressing themselves when they are mistreated, so the school should have had other measures in place to prevent child abuse, such as assigning more assistants to every class.

Issue:

• What does the average waiting time mentioned in Issue imply? Identify ONE potential long-term problem if the waiting time is not reduced. It implies that the demand for care places for toddlers far exceeds the supply available. More toddlers who are in need of urgent care might be at risk of child abuse due to the lack of facilities available.

• Refer to Wendy Huang Wen-jie’s comments at the end of Issue. To what extent do you agree with her, and why? Explain with reference to Context, News and Issue. I agree to a certain extent that operators with a record of child abuse should cease to operate. But the city has a dire shortage of care homes for toddlers, and the HKSPC is partly funded by the government. Thus, it is more pragmatic to establish clearer guidelines, step up inspections at schools and children’s home, and provide adequate support and training for childcare workers.