'Mandatory Reporting Required For All Abuse Cases'

A member of the Commission on Children, Priscilla Lui, said on Wednesday that a proposal on imposing a mandatory reporting requirement for suspected child abuse should not only cover serious cases.

The government has proposed to categorise child abuse cases into three levels based on their severity, with professionals required to make a report when serious harm has been inflicted on a child, or when a kid is in imminent risk of suffering serious injury.

But in less serious incidents which involve a child being at risk of harm, professionals are simply encouraged to report or refer the case.

"Child abuse is an important definition of the kind of care and treatment of our children. It reflects a certain degree of seriousness. And if we only say that we are mandatorily reporting the very serious ones, I think it's contradicting the basic principle of prevention better than cure, that kind of connotation," Lui told RTHK.

The proposed regulation seeks to impose legal obligations on professionals who are in close contact with children, including social workers, teachers and medical practitioners.

But private tutors, foster parents, and home-based child carers are not included.

"To start with that particular coverage, I would personally support that,” she said, adding that the government should also encourage other people who work closely with children to identify and report any suspected child abuse cases.