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Hong Kong welfare experts urge monitoring for hidden psychological abuse
Experts cited social withdrawal and anxiety as common signals, and said professionals should consult the Social Welfare Department even when cases do not meet mandatory reporting thresholds.
Hong Kong welfare experts are urging social workers and teachers to watch for subtle behavioral changes that can indicate psychological abuse, amid public outrage following a viral video involving a 10-year-old girl.
The experts said emotional and verbal abuse are among the most common but least recognized forms of child abuse, and that signs can include changes such as social withdrawal and anxiety, even though the harm can be as serious as physical injury.
They added that professionals who work with children should consult Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department even when a suspected case falls short of the serious harm threshold for mandatory reporting.
Their comments came after police on Wednesday arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of ill treatment of a child, after the girl was filmed carrying two heavy bags of beer at Fu Tai Estate in Tuen Mun, with her backpack torn and gaping open.