The Children’s Rights Association has delivered disappointing news about the Hong Kong government’s performance on child welfare, awarding it a low score of 26 out of 100. This assessment, released on Wednesday, evaluates the government's efforts over the past year particularly concerning homeless children and families facing financial difficulties. Although the score is low, it marks the highest evaluation since the annual reviews began back in 2005.
The report's score, though still below the passing mark of 50, signifies incremental progress compared to scores of 21 and 19 from previous years. The evaluation was conducted by more than 20 child ambassadors, all under 17, who consulted approximately 5,000 peers through app surveys and community meetings. Lau Yui, an 11-year-old ambassador, voiced frustration over stagnant housing policies and the extended waiting times for public housing. "The current government focused on economic recovery but neglected to comprehensively tackle the problem of child poverty through policies, legislation, or services," he stated.
Compounding these challenges, Eunice Lam’s report from the Society for Community Organization reveals the Hong Kong government has fallen short on its commitments to combat child poverty. The Civil Children’s Ombudsman’s annual report on children's rights echoed similar sentiments of deficiency across various domains, including education, healthcare, and social welfare.
Despite receiving the same score of 26 – the highest rating reached over the past two decades – the report also highlighted troubling aspects. The government, for example, was graded with zero marks for failing to support family reunifications between mainland mothers and their children living in Hong Kong, and for not addressing pervasive discrimination faced by new immigrant families. Meanwhile, their performances garnered passing scores for housing policies and how child neglect cases are managed.
According to SoCo's deputy director, Sze Lai-shan, the results reflect some positive changes but indicate the need for significant improvement. She emphasized, "While the government focuses on economic recovery, it must also prioritize children's rights in education and healthcare." With wealth disparity issues still evident, the government did make slight improvements, raising its score for addressing this gap to four marks, compared to zero the previous year.
The newly announced youth initiative, Strive and Rise, aims to assist disadvantaged secondary school students by offering support and plans for their futures. While this program is commendable, it restrictively includes only 4,000 children, raising concerns over its limited benefits. The community has called for broader expansion of the program to reach more children, especially considering the stark statistics showing the child poverty rate at 22.5 percent, impacting about 950,000 children under the age of 18.
The report also provided disturbing insights about children living under dire conditions, detailing the experiences of families struggling with basic needs, including proper housing and food security. Some children, the report notes, have lived for seven years in subdivided flats without access to public housing, emphasizing the urgency for immediate action.
To remedy these dire situations, the report advocates for several initiatives. Recommendations include providing free breakfast and lunch to underprivileged students, as well as offering rent subsidies or temporary housing solutions for families residing in overcrowded or substandard living conditions.
The critiques highlighted from both reports reveal how, amid significant social and economic challenges, the Hong Kong government must prioritize child poverty and legislation necessary to guard children’s rights. Parents and advocacy groups alike are questioning whether these governmental efforts are enough to genuinely impact the rising tide of child poverty and homelessness.
With more children than ever facing severe challenges as the economy finds its footing post-pandemic, it raises alarm bells: Will the government heed the call for change? Or will these reports continue to expose the failings of policies meant to protect the most vulnerable among us?