Hong Kong child protection group logs spike in calls from professionals working with minors
Against Child Abuse says social workers, medical staff and teachers among those that made about 180 hotline calls, up from 83 the year before
A Hong Kong charity group has logged more than double the number of hotline calls from professionals working with minors, after the passage of a mandatory reporting bill on suspected child abuse.
NGO Against Child Abuse on Thursday released data showing it received a total of 1,059 calls to its hotline handling suspected abuse reports and child development queries, during the financial year ending March 31, 2024.
Most of the calls, or 694, were made by family members, while the number of those made by professionals such as social workers, medical staff and teachers stood at 180, up from 83 from 2022-23.
Among the 1,059 reports, the group said 185 involved suspected child abuse, including 110 cases of physical abuse, followed by 24 cases of neglect, 22 cases involving multiple abuse, 18 cases of psychological abuse, as well as 11 sexual abuse cases.
The group recorded a total of 1,232 hotline calls in 2022-23, with 187 cases of suspected child abuse.
“The fluctuation in the number of our hotline calls is normal, and the figures have not fully reflected the situation of child abuse in Hong Kong as some cases may be hidden in the community,” said Donna Wong Chui-ling, the group’s director.
“More abuse cases will be exposed after the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill comes into effect,” she added, calling for related support measures including guidelines, training for professionals and emergency residential places.
