Is Hong Kong losing the fight against domestic violence?
After a decline in reports of abuse, the figures have picked up again, to the dismay of academics and charities who say the real picture is even more shocking
Domestic abuse is on the rise again in Hong Kong and experts say the number of reported cases is “the tip of the iceberg” in terms of the real number of victims.
The number of reported cases, calculated by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) as spousal or cohabitant abuse, halved between 2007 and 2012 before climbing again until 2015.
Academics and charity workers suggest the initial decline could be due to police recategorising many domestic abuse cases as family disputes around 2008.
They say more recent rises could be due to economic stress on families and limited access to support resources. They also suggest, based on their studies, that up to 98 per cent of cases go unreported.
Dr Edward Chan Ko-ling, associate professor of social work and administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the majority of cases compiled by the government represented physical abuse rather than psychological, as these were easier for social workers to identify with evidence such as bruises or wounds.
“It’s not that easy for the social worker to identify psychological abuse,” he said.
