請更新您的瀏覽器

您使用的瀏覽器版本較舊,已不再受支援。建議您更新瀏覽器版本,以獲得最佳使用體驗。

Eng

Hong Kong’s kindergartens and schools need better guidance on suspected child abuse, government watchdog says

South China Morning Post

發布於 2019年10月22日16:10 • Victor Ting victor.ting@scmp.com
  • 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
Winnie Chiu revealed that recommended child abuse procedures were not included in the Kindergarten Administration Code. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Winnie Chiu revealed that recommended child abuse procedures were not included in the Kindergarten Administration Code. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

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 guidelinesOmbudsman Winnie Chiu

In a case from 2015 that shocked the city, seven-year-old Suki Ling Yun-lam was found nearly dead after being severely mistreated by her mother. The girl was left with irreversible brain damage, gangrenous wounds and severe malnutrition that left her only able to breathe and move her eyes.

At present, the Education Bureau's School Administration Guide sets out the steps required of teachers to handle child abuse cases, including protocols for contacting the police, family and the child protective services unit of the Social Welfare Department.

But the government watchdog on Tuesday revealed that the recommended procedures were not included in the Kindergarten Administration Code.

The Office of the Ombudsman also criticised discrepancies between the School Administration Guide and the Social Welfare Department's guide, which states that when referring a suspected case of child abuse "the school should inform the parent(s)/guardian (s)". The guide also said "Special attention has to be paid when parent(s)/guardian (s) is/are suspected to be involved in the abuse."

The Social Welfare Department admitted to us that school personnel often have doubts in this regardOmbudsman Winnie Chiu

The School Administration Guide makes no mention of any responsibility to inform parents or guardians and emphasises that there is no obligation to seek prior consent of them when referring cases to police and the welfare department.

"While the two are not contradictory, the Social Welfare Department admitted to us that school personnel often have doubts in this regard," Chiu said.

She added that the departments should revise and align their guidelines to give clearer instructions to teachers.

Among other recommendations, the ombudsman said the Education Bureau should conduct statistical analysis on the length and reasons for students' prolonged absence in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools to "enable early identification of child abuse cases".

Chiu said the government should explore the feasibility of making it mandatory for professionals who have direct contact with children, such as teachers, social workers, doctors and nurses, to report suspected abuse.

Hong Kong needs action on electric vehicles and charging facilities, watchdog says

The Law Reform Commission conducted a three-month consultation this year on the proposal, as well as potentially adding a new offence for "failure to protect a child or vulnerable person where the child's or vulnerable person's death or serious harm results from an unlawful act or neglect".

Lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun, representing the social welfare constituency, welcomed the proposed measures but said they were long overdue.

"There are no surprises in the report, but at least they brought the issue back to the political agenda after the tragic Suki Ling Yun-lam case came to light a few years ago," said Shiu, who is also a social worker.

"The mandatory reporting mechanism is still hotly debated within the sector, but one thing is sure: to make it work, the government needs to increase funding and the number of social workers in each kindergarten and school so more of them can keep an eye on possible abuse cases."

Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

0 0
reaction icon 0
reaction icon 0
reaction icon 0
reaction icon 0
reaction icon 0
reaction icon 0