Hong Kong social welfare authorities are expected to take over the care of an undocumented baby for at least a year and may arrange foster care after his parents were arrested over suspected child neglect, a lawmaker has revealed. Legislator Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming told the South China Morning Post that the Social Welfare Department…
A viral video showing a basketball coach forcing a pupil to slap himself in front of others at a Hong Kong school has sparked concern from a child protection group, which warns the act could cause physical injury and emotional harm. In a video circulating on social media platform Threads on Tuesday, three men in…
The parents of a Hong Kong baby without legal identity have insisted on not providing DNA proof for birth registration on privacy grounds, with the city’s welfare minister saying authorities would “strive to meet” the family after finally receiving an email reply from them. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Tuesday said…
Hundreds of vulnerable children in Hong Kong are waiting for temporary homes, with a local charity urging more households from diverse backgrounds to step forward as demand for foster placements continues to outstrip supply. Mother’s Choice said 222 children remained on the official waiting list for placement, adding that single carers now make up nearly…
Complaints to Hong Kong’s equality watchdog about firings linked to suspected disability discrimination have more than doubled over the past five years, with concern groups attributing the rise to corporate restructuring and widespread lay-offs amid the economic downturn. The South China Morning Post obtained figures from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) showing that the watchdog…
Hong Kong authorities will experiment leasing government-built elderly care facilities to the private sector, with the pilot programme aiming to provide more diverse services targeting middle class senior residents. Labour and Welfare Bureau officials said in a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday that the government would roll out a “publicly built, privately run” model…
When Law Yin-ping moved into a village house in Yick Yuen Tsuen, Hung Shui Kiu, in northwest Hong Kong more than a decade ago with her granddaughters, it never crossed her mind that they could one day be homeless – and forcibly separated. The Tuen Mun village falls within the government’s planned Hung Shui Kiu/Ha…
Authorities will negotiate with operators of popular care homes in Guangdong province to secure more places for elderly Hongkongers to meet rising demand, the welfare minister has said, amid a ninefold surge in city residents moving into such facilities across the border in recent years. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said in…
Severe abuse can leave lasting mental scars and behavioural problems in children, psychologists have warned after two toddlers in Hong Kong were allegedly confined in a dog cage, a case that sparked public outrage and renewed calls for earlier reporting and intervention. The calls for action came as the latest official statistics showed that more…
About 270 residents of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court are returning to their flats on Monday to pack their belongings, nearly five months after the deadly blaze, with authorities deploying more than 1,000 staff to assist them. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said 269 residents from 78 households in Wang Sun House would…