The Social Welfare Department released the 2022 Child Protection Registry Statistical Report on July 7. It revealed that over 1,400 new registered child abuse cases were recorded in 2022, marking the second consecutive year of increase. Among the newly registered cases in the past year, Yau Tsim Mong district had the highest rate of child abuse cases, followed by Kwun Tong and Yuen Long districts.
According to the report, there were 1,439 new reported child abuse cases in 2022, representing a 5.3 percent increase compared to 2021. This marked a significant 53.1 percent rise from the 940 cases recorded in 2020.
Among the newly reported cases from 2021, 45.3 percent involved “physical harm or abuse,” 30.8 percent involved “sexual abuse,” 19.2 percent involved “neglect,” 3.7 percent involved “multiple harm or abuse,” and one percent involved “psychological harm or abuse.” In 2020, a total of 940 newly reported child abuse cases were recorded, and this number increased to 1,367 in 2021.
Regarding gender, 62 percent were girls, and 38 percent were boys. The age group with the highest cases was 12 to 14, comprising 26.6 percent. This was followed by the age groups of 9 to 11 years old (19 percent) and 0 to 2 years old (16 percent).
The report outlined the main risk factors in the cases of child abuse. Among them are “ factors relating to perpetrators,” accounting for 63.8 percent of the newly registered cases; “factors relating to child/children,” accounting for 57.8 percent; and “factors related to the environmental or social circumstances,” which accounted for 50.9 percent.
Nearly Half of Child Abuse Cases Attributed to Insufficient or Lack of Parenting Skills
Regarding “factors relating to the child or children,” the top three factors were “behavioral problem” (50.5 percent), “special educational need” (27.6 percent), and “emotional or psychological problem” (27.2 percent).The top three factors related to “factors relating to perpetrator(s)” were “incompetence in child rearing or lack of parenting skills” (47.8 percent), “emotion or psychological problem” (33.4 percent), and “marital problem” (21.7 percent).
Regarding “factors related to the environmental or social circumstances,” the highest factor was “lack of support system ( spouse, grandparents, relatives, friends),” accounting for 47.0 percent. The next significant factors were “perpetrator(s) (non-family member) can easily access the child,” accounting for 32.1 percent, followed by “perpetrator(s) cannot cope with family crisis or stresses,” accounting for 21.0 percent. Financial difficulty or unemployment accounted for 20.8 percent.
Over Half of the Abusers Are Parents of the Abused Children
The report revealed that among cases involving specific types of harm or abuse to girls, cases related to “sexual abuse” and “physical harm or abuse” accounted for 45.8 percent and 33.3 percent, respectively. Cases related to “physical harm or abuse” and “neglect” to boys accounted for 63.5 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively.Furthermore, among the 1,515 individuals who caused harm to children in newly registered cases in 2022, 56.6 percent were parents of abused children. Among the 477 individuals involved in cases of sexual offenses, 36.3 percent were classmates, friends, or peers of the abused children.
Highest Child Abuse Rate in Yau Tsim Mong District
Among the newly registered cases, the districts with the highest number of child abuse cases were Kwun Tong (13.3 percent), Yuen Long (11.8 percent), and Yau Tsim Mong (11.8 percent) districts. When calculating the child abuse incidence per 1,000 child population (aged 0 to 17), Yau Tsim Mong district had the highest rate at 4.37, making it the highest among the 18 districts. The districts with the fewest child abuse cases were Wan Chai (0.9 percent), Central and Western (1.2 percent), and Islands districts (1.8 percent).
