The SUN HK : Child abuse cases up 30%

25 August 2023

Police say there has been an 80% rise in cases of indecent assault of children

Police have reported more than 700 child abuse cases in the first half of the year, amounting to a nearly 30 percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Roughly half of them, or 359 cases, involved physical abuse. The rest, or 357 cases, related to sexual abuse.

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The increase was attributed to the resumption of normal activities after Covid-19 and also to a heightened public awareness of the need to protect children.

“A lot of social activities resumed… And that's why more sexual abuses were reported. When [children] return to school or have their social life resumed, they will have more opportunities to encounter different kinds of people like their schoolmates or friends in different activities," senior superintendent Kong Wing-cheung said at Thursday’s press briefing.

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Of the 359 cases involving physical abuse, nearly 75 percent of abusers were family members.

Kong said parents might not have intended to hurt their children but adopted wrong methods or failed to control themselves.

Some parents may have hurt their children unintentionally, say police (File photo)

"Parents and caregivers need to pay more attention to their own physical and emotional condition and to talk to other people when they encounter difficulties or seek professional assistance," he said.

As for the 357 sexual abuse cases, 75% were reportedly committed by friends, family members or by their lovers.

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Of these cases, 246 involved indecent assault, a whopping 80% increase year-on-year.

The police believe this was largely due to the children’s easier access to social media, particularly through dating apps or online games.

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In these cases, the abusers asked the victims to share naked photos or moved to further assaults.

Kong said studies show that the young victims do not realize that the private images they showed to their online partners could be leaked elsewhere.

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This was what happened in the case of a 13-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted by a 26-year-old man he met on Twitter. The boy’s mother saw their chat record and reported to police.

Kong said the youngest victim of sexual assault is a 9-year-old girl.

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He asked parents and teachers to remind children to seek help if online friends start talking to them about sex, or engage in unusual behaviour.

In line with a new bill making it mandatory for teachers, social workers and medical personnel to report suspected child abuse, four additional officers will be deployed to child abuse units in every police district.