Violence is not parenting, Hong Kong child advocate says amid rise in physical abuse cases
Social worker and mother also warns that low-income and immigrant families most in need of help from a city whose data and regulations are inadequate
With hundreds of children in Hong Kong being abused every year, mostly by their parents, child protection advocate Donna Wong Chiu-ling thinks it’s important to drive home the message that harsh discipline is not only abusive but also inflicts serious physical and mental damage.
“In traditional Chinese culture, many parents think that sparing the rod means spoiling the child,” says Wong, 49, acting director of the charity Against Child Abuse. “They treat their children like their property … and have forgotten the fact that they’re independent individuals.”
Yet the tragedy is just the tip of the iceberg as government figures show the number of child abuse cases has risen over the past three years. In 2016, the Child Protection Registry recorded 892 cases, mainly involving physical abuse. That continued a rising trend as the city recorded 874 cases in 2015 and 856 in 2014.
Wong observes that some parents still use old-school corporal punishment to discipline children, and she claims the legal system is inadequate when it comes to protecting them. She warns that physical punishment could escalate into child abuse, hurting the child’s body as well as their self-esteem.
Modern parenting consists of listening to children’s needs, she adds.
