On July 11, 2024, the Legislative Council passed the "Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill". The bill designates 25 categories of professionals as mandatory reporters. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun Yuk-han, commented that with the passage of the bill, over 100,000 specified professionals will work alongside the government to protect children in the future. This marks an important milestone for Hong Kong's policy and regulative initiatives in strengthening child protection.
Way before and throughout the legislative process, Team Prologue worked with Save the Children Hong Kong, a non-profit focused on child welfare, to strategize and advance a series of policy advocacy, education, and media publicity efforts. These efforts aimed to comprehensively raise social awareness about the necessity of strengthening child protection. Through tireless stakeholder engagement and explanatory work, we encouraged child-facing organizations and Legislative Council members to support the legislative work on mandatory reporting of child abuse, and constructively discuss the implementation details.
The MRCA Bill Forum
To promote stakeholder discussion on the "Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Bill" (MRCA Bill), Save the Children Hong Kong held an expert forum on October 7, 2023. Speakers included Dr. Hon Tik Chi-yuen, SBS, JP, Legislative Council member (social welfare sector); Ms. Lam Chui-ling, MH, JP, Vice-chairperson of Federation of Hong Kong Education Workers; Mr. Azan Marwah, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Committee on Children's Rights; and Ms. Alia Marwah Eyres, CEO of Mother's Choice. The seminar also invited various stakeholders from academia, including principals, teachers, and social workers from primary and secondary schools, international schools, and special schools to exchange ideas and understand the impact of the legislation on their work.
(From right to left) Ms. Namrata Bindra, Representative of Save the Children Hong Kong; Ms. Lam Chui-ling, MH, JP, Vice Chairperson of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers; Mr. Shek Wai-keung, Principal of Hong Chi Shiu Pong Morninghope School; Ms. Eva Hsu-Au Yee-wah, Principal of Fukien Secondary School Affiliated School; Mr. Regan Ho Ting-hong, Committee Member of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation; and Mr. Azan Marwah, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Committee on Children's Rights, shared their views on the bill and their experiences in protecting children's safety.
The half-day forum was divided into multiple sessions to explore various aspects of the Bill, including an analysis of the legislation content, child protection challenges in Hong Kong, and opinion exchange with educators. Team Prologue was responsible for planning the content, design, typesetting and printing of the program booklet, particularly using infographics to illustrate data and key points of legislation.
The designer used children avatars to express the vision of legislation to protect children’s rights, and designed the central-spread infographic to help attendees digest the legislative details.
Printed copies of the event booklet
The bill designates teachers, child care workers, and social workers as mandatory reporters, responsible for reporting suspected cases of child abuse. During the forum, educators discussed ways to strengthen the mandatory reporting mechanism to ensure the safety and well-being of students while balancing the rights of the mandated reporters. They also highlighted the support anticipated.
"Through this dialogue with the education sector, we hope to gather concerns and suggestions from the industry, which can help improve the relevant laws and guidelines."
Ms. Carol Szeto, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Hong Kong
Ms. Carol Szeto, Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Hong Kong, stated: "Our organization supports legislation requiring professionals to mandatorily report suspected child abuse cases to protect children. However, we are also highly concerned about the impact of this legislation on educators, as reflected by the education sector." She added: "Through this dialogue with the education sector, we hope to gather concerns and suggestions from the industry, which can help improve the relevant laws and guidelines. Ultimately, we aim to achieve a robust legal framework and a practical implementation plan to create a safer environment for the next generation to grow up in."
Press conference for a corporal punishment & mandatory reporting survey
In April 2023, before the government announced its decision and direction on the legislation, Save the Children Hong Kong held a press conference to release a survey on corporal punishment. A mother was invited to share with the media her personal approach to disciplining their children, highlighting the important message of "zero tolerance for corporal punishment" in the society. Conducted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the survey results showed that over 80% of respondents (83.2%) support the government in legislating a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse cases, reflecting a strong public supports towards a mandatory reporting mechanism.
On April 27, 2023, Save the Children Hong Kong Releases Survey Findings on “Public Views on Corporal Punishment on Children”
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Hong Kong and 120 countries around the world, we do whatever it takes – every day and in times of crisis – so children can fulfil their rights to a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. With over 100 years of expertise, we are the world’s first and leading independent children’s organisation – transforming lives and the future we share.
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