Every child in Hong Kong has a right to be protected from all forms of abuse. At Mother’s Choice, we serve over 100 children at any one time. These children, who are currently not living in a safe, loving, and permanent family, are some of the most vulnerable people in our society and they deserve the highest level of care, protection, and respect.

Working in the child welfare field is not easy. Our teams step into the most difficult moments in the lives of infants, children, pregnant girls, and families. We accompany our clients in hospitals, in courtrooms, and in their own homes. In a residential care setting, the amount of work that goes into smoothly and safely providing a home for babies and children is a great task as we operate 24/7, keep running rosters of trained and committed childcare workers and volunteers, with the added complications of keeping them safe from COVID. It takes courage to continue to serve with such dedication and love, putting children at the center of everything we do.

It is so important to stand up for children, but we can often feel helpless, not knowing what to do when our heart, body, or mind is telling us that a child we know may not be safe. We can all support and encourage one another to take small action steps to see children protected:

First, we can educate ourselves. Mother’s Choice extends an open invitation to complete our online child protection training, which at its core reminds us how to prevent, respond to, and report child abuse. This training is completed by our staff, volunteers, and foster families as part of equipping teams to uphold and embed our child protection standards and values into their work, practice, and hearts.

We can also take notice of the vulnerable children around us, especially those in families who are isolated and alone. Befriending and walking alongside a struggling family, including young single parents, can make a world of difference to a child’s sense of safety and security.

Our child protection activities at Mother’s Choice help us build a team that values and prioritizes the safety and best interests of children. To find out more about our commitment to child safeguarding, please visit our Child Protection page or email info@motherschoice.org.

We believe it takes a village to raise a child. When our community joins hands together, we can create safe, child friendly environments where every child is respected, protected, and heard.

Recent news headlines on child abuse barely scratch the surface on the very real struggles that our community has faced. Read our letter to the editor below (originally published here in the South China Morning Post on 4th May 2021).

Last month’s conviction of a couple for the murder of their five-year-old daughter in January 2018 left our city shocked and heartbroken over child abuse in Hong Kong. It also reignited a debate on whether professionals should be legally required to report suspected child abuse and neglect to the authorities.

Child protection is not just the responsibility of policymakers. Everyone and every sector of society has a role to play, and everyone can make a difference.

While establishing mandatory reporting of child abuse in Hong Kong legislation would be an important step forward in protecting children at a systemic level, anyone can voluntarily report any concern about child abuse at any time.

At Mother’s Choice, a local charity serving the many children without families as well as pregnant teenagers in Hong Kong, we believe that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility. Each employee, volunteer and foster parent completes child protection training upon joining, which teaches them how to identify, respond to and report child abuse if there is a concern.

As our city emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, children who have been isolated, abused and neglected will rejoin society, and the adults around them must respond to any concerns they have.

But while we can all report child abuse, we often feel hopeless, not knowing what to do when our heart, body or mind is telling us that a child we know may not be safe. Despite this, there are small actions we can all take.

Firstly, we can educate ourselves. Mother’s Choice extends an open invitation to complete our online child protection training by contacting info@motherschoice.org, and we can share our experiences of building robust child safeguarding policies throughout our organisation.

We can also take notice of the vulnerable children around us, especially those in families who are isolated and alone. Befriending and walking alongside a struggling family, including young single parents, can make a world of difference to a child’s sense of safety and security.

Our vision is to see every child in a safe, loving and permanent family, surrounded by a supportive community.

While strengthening the legislation to protect children in Hong Kong may still take time, each one of us can step up immediately as we stand together as a city to keep children safe.

Chloe Banks, manager, Safe Families, Mother’s Choice