Position Paper

AGAINST CHILD ABUSE

Position Paper on Unattended Children and General Child Safety

Regarding the concern for unattended children and general child safety, we make the following recommendations :

1. The Working Group on Child Abuse under the Health & Welfare Branch to be reconvened and made a Standing Committee.

It was supposed to be reconvened in the beginning of 1992.

2. The Neglect Campaign Working Group under the Government Information Services be reconvened, renamed and made a Standing Committee.

A positive name reflecting a wider concern in child care is more preferable.

It was recommended in the Working Group on Child Abuse that this group should be an on-going group with a role to work out a strategy in publicity and public education to prevent abuse and neglect.

3. We support the setting up of a Child Safety Council for the following purpose:

Statistics concerning childhood injury and death should be centralised,

A clear policy in this respect needs to be listed,

Necessary channels and procedures to be worked out and widely publicised;

Preventive measures and programmes to be widely promoted and organised not only for adults but also for children.

4. We urge for proper legal protection to ensure basic care for children, particularly those aged eight and under.

Adult presence is a must for basic child care for the very young.

The government and NGO should be able to provide necessary information, counselling, child care services and resources etc.

For families who still do not take necessary precautions or steps to adequately protect children even after resources and services are made available, should be penalised.

The consequence of violation of such Ordinance should range from having to receive counselling, parenting training, paying a fine to imprisonment.

The public should be encouraged rather than discouraged to participate in child protection and reporting suspected neglect or abuse situations....