HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
28 June 1989
香港立法局
一九八九年六月二十八日
47
Hong Kong is one of the most prosperous territories in the Asian and Pacific region. But one must note that despite its promising economic performance in general, some families are still at risk while many children, I fear, are subject to different kinds of exploitation. I shall refer to these nuclear families in the new towns which have had little support from parents or relatives, and to those youngsters who are the victims of parental abuse and sexual exploitation.
We usually say Chinese families are basically self-reliant and family members tend to help each other in case of crisis. This is true when they are living in an environment which they are familiar with. In such a community, one will enjoy the intimacy and support from friendly neighbours and relatives who are readily available and always willing to help. However, there is a change with new towns mushrooming in the New Territories and thousands of households have had to move into new communities where they find little support and where they are regarded as total strangers.
These households have to face all their problems alone. As a result, one observes an increase in marital problems, child abuse, youth crime rate and even domestic violence in the new towns.
Article V of the proposed convention states that the child has the right to enjoy parental guidance appropriate to his or her evolving capability. Yet, when the parents are not available or not capable of providing the support needed, the Government has to provide the access needed to relevant social services. By doing so, the child's normal development can be ensured, while maltreatment can be avoided.
I would suggest that the Government should look closely into such problems arising in new towns, and to work out all the necessary measures to help such families. This would include the provision of adequate day-care centre placements for children under six, children centres or after-school programmes for school-age students, family counselling services for those in need of in-depth counselling, and preferably, a task force composed of experienced social workers, police officers, and other personnel or professionals to deal with cases which will come up periodically. If a child has to be taken away from his or her natural family due to more severe problems, I would advise that careful assessment should be carried out by professionals before any action is taken. If it would be in the best interests of the child to stay in another environment, I would suggest that the professional or social worker should firstly consider placing the child in the closest relatives' family so that he or she can still enjoy a normal family life. If this is not possible, it would be desirable to place the