A child welfare organisation on Thursday urged the government to offer professionals guidance before a mandatory reporting mechanism for suspected child abuse comes into effect. Against Child Abuse (ACA) said it handled about 1,000 enquiries between April last year and March this year, of which 185 involved child abuse fears. The organisation said more than 15 percent of the enquiries were from professionals, such as teachers, social workers and doctors. ACA director Donna Wong said she expects the number of cases reported by professionals to gradually increase, as awareness has improved since Legco passed the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance in July. But Wong said sufficient preparatory work must be carried out before the legislation comes into effect in 2026. “We hope that relevant support measures, such as the mandatory reporting guide, trainings for related professionals, the childcare residential placement, emergency placement and publicity education… will be well prepared in the 18-month transition period so that the mechanism will fully play its effectiveness,” she said. Under the legislation, professionals who fail to report abuse cases risk a three-month jail term and a HK$50,000 fine.
