The Child Abuse Prevention Association received 200 suspected child abuse cases last year, nearly half of which involved physical abuse at a high risk of 6 to 8 years old

The "Help and Parent-Child Support Hotline" of the Prevention of Child Abuse will receive 200 suspected child abuse cases in 2020/21, involving 248 children.

The director-general of the association Huang Cuiling pointed out that as the epidemic slowed to resume half-day classes, some suspected child abuse cases continued to surface; according to statistics from the Social Welfare Department, a total of 1,230 new child protection cases were established in the first quarter of this year, compared with 650 cases in the same period last year. Increased by more than 50%.

She described that the current situation of child abuse in Hong Kong is serious, and it is estimated that the number of new cases in the Social Welfare Department this year may be the highest in history.

For a 22-month-old baby girl who was tortured to death, the two defendants were sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison. Huang Cuiling believes that the sentence lacks deterrent power and urges the government to accept the earlier legislative recommendations of the Law Reform Commission, based on the guilt of failing to protect children. According to the proposal, if it causes serious injury, it can be sentenced to 15 years in prison, and if it causes death, it can be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The authorities should also review the maximum penalties of the "Offences against the Person Ordinance," and set up a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse cases, and prohibit corporal punishment by parents.

The "Help and Parent-Child Support Hotline" of the Prevention of Child Abuse Society received 200 suspected child abuse cases in 2020/21, involving 248 children.

(Photo by Zeng Kaixin)

In response to the needs of families under the epidemic, the Prevention of Child Abuse will implement the "Help and Parent-Child Support Hotline" in the past year to provide channels for the public to report suspected child abuse cases and allow parents to seek help when they encounter difficulties in discipline.

The hotline received more than 1,200 reports and consultations, 16% of which were suspected child abuse cases

The hotline received a total of 1,264 hotline reports and inquiries in 2020/21, an increase of 11% over 2019/20. Among them, 200 were suspected child abuse cases, accounting for 16% of them.

Among the hotline reports received, more than 75% of the hotline seekers were family members, of which only 20 cases were from children suspected of being abused, and 4 cases were for suspected abusers who called for assistance.

The 200 cases received by the hotline involved 248 children, with a maximum of 6 to 8 years old, followed by 3 to 5 years old, 9 to 11 years old and 12 to 14 years old.

Huang Cuiling, director general of the Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse, pointed out that the age group involved in the case is the children’s pre-school, primary one, and secondary school stages. Parents need to face the pressure of choosing schools for their children at this stage, which can easily lead to parent-child conflicts.

She suggested that in addition to helping their children adapt to the new learning environment, parents should also take care of their own emotions and equip them with positive discipline and communication skills as early as possible.

The crisis of children's online exposure to sexual offenders increases during the epidemic

As for suspected child abuse cases, the rate of physical abuse is the highest, followed by sexual assault.

Huang Cuiling said that during the epidemic, children have more time to try out the Internet and use smart phones to contact the outside world. This increases the risk of children contacting offenders online. Some sexual offenders will even ask victims to pass nude photos. The problem needs attention.

SWD's new cases increase by more than 50%, expected to be the highest in the past years

Huang Cuiling also pointed out that during the severe epidemic, due to school closures, it was more difficult to identify suspected child abuse cases than in the past, and she was worried that many hidden cases existed.

As the epidemic slowed down and resumed half-day classes, Huang Cuiling pointed out that some cases have gradually surfaced. According to statistics from the Social Welfare Department, there were 1,230 newly established child protection cases in the first quarter of this year, an increase of more than 50% from the 650 cases in the same period last year.

She described that the current situation of child abuse in Hong Kong is serious, and it is estimated that the number of new cases in the Social Welfare Department this year may be the highest in history.

In addition to the problem of child abuse, the issue of child discipline is also popular for help.

The hotline received 795 related requests for help this year, and 126 requests for help in crisis, which means that if you do not intervene and provide support as soon as possible, there is a chance that they will turn into suspected abuse cases.

Huang Cuiling pointed out that most of the phone calls are also related to the increase in children's stay at home under the epidemic. For example, parents will worry that academic performance will be affected during the suspension of classes; conflicts between parents and children and children's siblings have increased; and working parents are looking for caregivers Sometimes it is difficult to ask for help.

Defendant in infant abuse case sentenced to 64 months in jail

A 22-month-old baby girl was tortured to death. The two defendants were sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison in the High Court.

Huang Cuiling said that the current maximum penalty for child abuse crimes is 10 years’ imprisonment, and the judge uses 8 years as the starting point for sentencing. The final sentence is only more than 5 years in prison, which lacks deterrent power.

She urged the government to accept the earlier legislative proposal of the Law Reform Commission that when a child is abused, family members living with it will also face criminal responsibility if they turn a blind eye.

According to the suggestion that there is no guilt for protecting children, 15 years’ imprisonment for serious injuries and 20 years’ imprisonment for death.

The authorities should also review the maximum penalty in Article 27 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance (Chapter 212), and set up a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse cases and prohibit corporal punishment by parents.

A baby girl died suddenly with multiple deep bruises on her head. A 64-month baby abuse case involving men and women living together while admitting to torturing each prisoner during care | 66% of 871 cases involving sexual assault, nearly half of the victims were under 6 years of age and 22 months old, and the baby girl died suddenly and was wounded. She was tied to the waist and stayed at home alone. A surge of nearly 70% of 21-year-old man arrested for illegal sexual intercourse with 13-year-old girl