Hong Kong passes bill to make reporting suspected child abuse mandatory for those in certain professions
HKFP
Hong Kong passes bill to make reporting suspected child abuse mandatory for those in certain professions.
Hong Kong’s legislature has approved a bill requiring teachers, social workers, doctors and other specified professionals to report suspected serious child abuse cases. Those who fail to comply could face up to three months in prison and a fine of HK$50,000.
The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill was passed on Thursday with most legislators supporting the law that aimed to introduce a mechanism for early and effective detection and intervention of child abuse cases.
NGO RainLily said on Thursday that many of the specified professionals who were mandated to report severe cases of child abuse did not specialise in supporting victims or survivors of sexual violence. It urged the authorities to include voices of childhood sexual abuse victims in a guide to help the professionals identify the cases which required reporting.
“This will ensure that the entire reporting and handling process adheres to trauma-informed principles, avoiding secondary trauma to the victim-survivors due to false or wrongful reports,” an English statement from RainLily read.
SCMP
Hong Kong passes child abuse reporting law, with legislation targeting 25 professions
Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill requires workers in 25 professions to report suspected cases of serious harm