The Social Welfare Department released the 2022 Child Protection Registry Statistical Report on July 7. It revealed that over 1,400 new registered child abuse cases were recorded in 2022, marking the second consecutive year of increase. Among the newly registered cases in the past year, Yau Tsim Mong district had the highest rate of child abuse cases, followed by Kwun Tong and Yuen Long districts.
According to the report, there were 1,439 new reported child abuse cases in 2022, representing a 5.3 percent increase compared to 2021. This marked a significant 53.1 percent rise from the 940 cases recorded in 2020.
Among the newly reported cases from 2021, 45.3 percent involved “physical harm or abuse,” 30.8 percent involved “sexual abuse,” 19.2 percent involved “neglect,” 3.7 percent involved “multiple harm or abuse,” and one percent involved “psychological harm or abuse.” In 2020, a total of 940 newly reported child abuse cases were recorded, and this number increased to 1,367 in 2021….