Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1954-1955 — Page 19

Centres of this Society, whose work is more fully described under Public Assistance, helped a total of 27,158 families during the year.

Another voluntary organization, the Family Plan- ning Association of Hong Kong, which operated 10 clinics, made a valuable contribution to family welfare work by reducing the economic burden on, and increasing the happiness of, families through scientific planning of the size of families.

CHAPTER VIII

MORAL WELFARE

40. The Moral Welfare Section of the Social Welfare Office was set up as a separate section in 1952 in order to give more specialized care to children in moral danger, juvenile prostitutes, and unmarried mothers, and is responsible for exercising some of the functions of the Protection of Women and Juveniles Ordinance of 1951.

41. Under this Ordinance there were during 1954/55 14 prosecutions (details given in Appendix VIII) falling within the scope of work of the Moral Welfare Section, and resulting in the conviction of 8 offenders and the placement of 6 girls against whom the offences were committed, in the Po Leung Kuk and the Good Shepherd Sisters' Home. In addition, the Moral Welfare Officer assisted 36 unmarried mothers through either helping them to legalize their union or obtaining main- tenance, and also concerned herself with the welfare of 128 adolescent girls who were in need of care and protection or in moral danger.

42. The tasks of the Moral Welfare Officer of protecting girls in moral danger and rehabilitating juvenile prostitutes were greatly facilitated by the Good Shepherd Sisters, to whose Home the majority of girls in need of institutional training were sent after having been received initially into the Po Leung Kuk pending a satisfactory medical report.

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