Child abuse in Hong Kong escalating as pandemic sees children and stressed parents spending more time at home, expert says
- Issue is made worse by vulnerable children separated from schools and social support systems, says Vanessa Hemavathi, board chair of Help for Children Asia
- Children are being left in the care of people with little training or authority, while increased exposure to pornography is a major concern
Child abuse in Hong Kong is escalating as stressed parents – many who have lost their jobs – spend more time at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Vanessa Hemavathi, board chair of Help for Children Asia, the Hong Kong affiliate of global foundation HFC that’s on a mission to prevent child abuse.
Adding to the problem, Hemavathi says, are vulnerable children separated from schools and social support systems. “People are trapped in their houses and they’re frustrated.”
One of the main tasks of Help for Children Asia is determining which child abuse prevention and treatment organisations in Hong Kong are allocated funds raised through HFC grants. In the past 22 years, the foundation has distributed more than US$53 million to various child-protection groups globally.
Research from Hong Kong’s Child Protection Registry makes for depressing reading, Hemavathi says: for every reported child abuse case in Hong Kong, 99 go unreported. In 65 per cent of cases, the parent was the abuser.
While abuse cuts across socio-economic, racial and religious lines and is widespread – the World Health Organisation estimates one in four children experience some form of abuse – Hemavathi says some cases have a cultural context.
