Research on the scope of child abuse including sexual abuse in Hong Kong is rare so we wanted to share with you this report produced by the University of Hong Kong. It includes a look at data from both the Social Welfare Department and Hospital Authority and gives a glimpse at diagnosis outcomes such as suicidal attempts or mental health issues as a result of abuse.
The document is quite dense but below are some extracts.
Full title: Epidemiology of Child Abuse and Its Geographic Distribution in Hong Kong: An Important Social Indicator of Different Districts and Communities (A Central Policy Unit Commissioned Report)
Data Sources: 1) CPR under the Social Welfare Department and 2) Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) and Accident and Emergency Information System (AEIS) under the Hospital Authority
Principal Investigator: Dr Patrick Ip – Clinical Associate Professor, Community Child Health Unit, Department of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, HKU
REPORT EXTRACTS
Background
Child abuse is known to be a prevalent problem worldwide. Its relevant statistics have been considered as important social indicators in the UK and many western countries. Recent study in UK reported that the overall burden of child maltreatment remained stable and the annual incidence of hospital admissions declined significantly. The situation in Hong Kong was, however, rather different. A territory-wide household survey in 2004 reported a significant prevalence of child abuse and abuse related issues among HK families; the maltreatment related hospital admission was also increased from 33 per 100,000 in 2001 to 73 per 100,000 in 2008. Furthermore, districts with relatively low socio-economic status were found to have more prominent child abuse incidence. These findings coincided with the official statistics from Social Welfare Department, which reported the annual child maltreatment incidence increased 87% from 2001 to 2010.
Quotes
- …some cases established as child abuse, e.g. sexual abuse, were not admitted to public hospitals…
- …There was no need for hospitalisation for some child abuse (e.g. sexual abuse)
- …suicidal attempts were more commonly found in persons suffered (sic) from sexual and psychological abuse…
- Victims of incest and sexual intercourse with relatives besides parents were found to have more records of suicidal attempts, while the victims of sexual intercourse with non-relatives were found to have more diagnosis in mental health problems.
- …mental health problems were frequently found in sexual, psychological, and multiple abuse victims…
Examples of the Data
| Characteristics of abusers in SWD database | SWD only data – diagnosis comparisons (inpatient) by type of abuse | ||
| Characteristics of Abusers | Sexual Abuse | Any Diagnosis | Sexual Abuse |
| Mean of Age | 38.28 | History of suicidal attempts | 5.24% |
| Record of being abused in childhood | 63.93% | History of Injury | 22.05% |
| Record of mental illness | 9.58% | Mental health problem | 15.28% |
| Congenital Malformations / Chromosomal Abnormalities | 6.11% | ||
Recommendations
- Communications between the SWD and HA could be enhanced to further improve child abuse related services and prevention planning
- An HA built-in injury surveillance and alert system could assist in identifying child abuse victims earlier
- There is a need to further improve the case management of child abuse victims by involving both social services and medical professionals to fulfill the needs of abused children
- Future studies are also recommended to further investigate the underlying mechanism and impacts of child maltreatment.