XN000022-1988-06-02 — Page 16

I

15

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 1988

"YET, AGAINST THESE SUCCESSES WHICH, OVER THE INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR DEDICATION.

**

ODDS,

OUR TWO SERVICES YBARS, HAVE RARNED FOR OUTSTANDING EXPERTISE,

HAVE

ACHIEVED THEM BOTH AN COMPETENCE AND

DR CHOA APPEALED TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO REPORT ΤΟ POLICE AND THE CUSTOMS SERVICE ANY SUSPICIONS THEY MIGHT HAVE, ACTIVITIES WHICH MIGHT COME ΤΟ THEIR NOTICE, IN RELATION TO IMPORT, MANUFACTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF DANGEROUS DRUGS.

"OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES CAN DO WITH, AND HELP WE CAN GIVE THEM, HE SAID.

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THE

OR

THE

DESERVE,

ALL

GUESTS WITNESSING THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DRUGS INCLUDED MR YEUNG PO-KWAN, MR J.P. LEE, MR PAO PING-WING AND MRS PEGGY MIU WHO ARE MEMBERS OF ACAN; THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, MR RAYMON ANNING; THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR TONG KANG-CING; THE COMMISSIONER FOR NARCOTICS, MR GARETH MULLOY.

LEE.

AND

FULL RANGE OF SERVICES TO HELP BATTERED WOMEN

THE GOVERNMENT IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HAS BEEN RENDERING VARIOUS SERVICES TO HELP THE VICTIMS, THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ELIZABETH WONG, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF HARMONY HOUSE

A SHELTER FOR BATTERED WOMEN HELD AT THE DUKE OF WINDSOR SOCIAL SERVICE BUILDING IN WAN CHAI, MRS WONG POINTED OUT THAT BATTERING OF A SPOUSE WAS THE MOST COMMON FORM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

SHE NOTED THAT UNLIKE IN THE PAST WHEN DOMESTIC PROBLEMS WERE KEPT STRICTLY WITHIN THE FAMILY, PEOPLE HAD BECOME MORE OPEN-MINDED BECAUSE OF RAPID SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE INTERACTION OF CHINESE AND WESTERN CULTURES AND CONSEQUENTIALLY HAD BECOME MORE WILLING TO REPORT ABUSE CASES AND SEEK ASSISTANCE.

"ACCORDING TO THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT'S STATISTICS, THERE WERE 844 BATTERED SPOUSE CASES IN 1985 AND 824 IN 1986.

"LAST YEAR'S FIGURE OF 750 REPORTED CASES WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THOSE IN THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS AND I HOPE THAT THIS NUMBER WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE," MRS WONG SAID.

NOTING THAT OVER 90 PER CENT OF THE VICTIMS OF THE BATTERED SPOUSE CASES HANDLED BY THE DEPARTMENT WERE WOMEN, SHE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDED A WHOLE RANGE OF SERVICES TO HELP THEM REGAIN STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE AND TO IMPROVE THEIR CONDITIONS.

"THERE ARE