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Jane Cheung
A bill on mandatory reporting of suspected child-abuse cases will be submitted to the Legislative Council in November – a month earlier than scheduled – says the Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han.
Sun said authorities want to speed up legislation to protect children following news reports of child abuse in households, schools and care homes.
The proposed law will require “children-facing” workers – including teachers, social workers and medics – to report suspected abuse to authorities. Those who fail to do so may face up to three months in jail and a HK$50,000 fine.
Speaking before the Legislative Council panel on welfare services yesterday, Sun said the Labour and Welfare Bureau has completed consulting industry workers for the proposed law last month.
”Most child-care workers are very diligent and professional. I think we must recognize the efforts of most workers,” he said. “But if a small number of people cross the red line, we will not tolerate it.”
In response to concerns that the proposed three-tier report mechanism may create confusion and loopholes, Sun said people are encouraged to report promptly any suspected child abuse, even if the level of harm is not serious, as the law aims to nip potential cases in the bud.
The mechanism stipulates that in case of suspected serious abuse, reports must be made to police or the Social Welfare Department. The second and third tiers encourage workers to report moderate cases and refer mild cases to nongovernmental organizations.
Lawmakers questioned the SWD’s report on the mass abuse scandal involving the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children’s Residential Home.
The report raised 31 recommendations, including installing surveillance cameras in the city’s two child dormitories and stepping up random inspection of camera footage, which Sun said has been done.
It was during a random inspection that authorities found two staff in the other child dormitory – Po Leung Kuk’s babies section – had allegedly abused toddlers by pushing them on play mats.
Police have arrested the two carers and the kuk has set up an independent review commission to follow up the case.
Sun said the kuk will submit a report in a month. But lawmakers are worried the measures proposed in the report cannot be adopted in the long run.
Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said: “Now that all Hongkongers are looking at these child-abuse cases, of course you’ll do it now. But after one, three or five years, it’s hard to get the manpower to watch all this footage.”
Tien suggested using artificial intelligence for such inspection, but Sun said manual checks are still necessary.
New People’s Party lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan said the report had no timeline or penalty for industry workers who fail to execute the recommendations.
Social welfare director Charmaine Lee said the Society for the Protection of Children’s contract has been slashed from an indefinite term to one year.
jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com
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