HONG KONG – Cases of domestic violence involving children in Hong Kong saw a steady increase in the last four years, government data showed on Wednesday.

The number of domestic violence cases involving child protection received and handled by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) dropped to 940 in 2020 from 1,006 in 2019. But it rose to 1,367 in 2021, then to 1,439 in 2022 and 1,457 in 2023, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said while replying to a related query at the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

The data however showed a steady fall in the number of cases of domestic violence involving spouse or cohabitant battering handled by the SWD since 2020.

While the number such cases was 2,920 in 2019, it decreased to 2,601 in 2020, to 2,715 in 2021, 2,077 in 2022 and 1,938 in 2023.

ALSO READ: CE vows to do more to address domestic violence cases

While handling domestic conflict reports, police refer cases in need to the SWD for follow-up actions, which include arranging for the persons in need for admission to refuge centers or immediate intervention by outreaching social workers by the SWD, said Sun.

For those who refuse to accept referral services, police provide a "Family Support Service Information Card" jointly produced with the SWD, to facilitate the persons concerned to contact service agencies direct for assistance, he said, adding that if a case is deemed high-risk, the SWD makes crisis intervention and provides necessary support.

Victims of domestic violence and their families get a wide range of preventive, supportive and specialized services from different service units. These include Integrated Family Service Centers/Integrated Services Centres, Family and Child Protective Services Units, Clinical Psychology Units, Family Support Networking Teams, Refuge Centres for Women, Family Crisis Support Centre, Multi-purpose Crisis Intervention and Support Centre, Victim Support Programme for Victims of Family Violence, residential child care services and child care centers.

READ MORE: Child abuse figures are tip of the iceberg

“Police have clear professional guidelines for the classification and handling of cases. Irrespective of the classification of a case, police officers will handle and investigate cases with empathy, understanding, professionalism, fairness, and impartiality,” said the secretary.

The SWD runs a publicity campaign titled "Strengthening Families and Combating Violence", which include promotion through television, radio, various public transport network, online platforms and social media, to raise public awareness on understanding and preventing domestic violence, he said.

Besides, the SWD also organizes various mass events and diversified district-based public education programs to encourage people in need to seek early assistance, prevent resorting to violence against family members and promote the message of family harmony.

ALSO READ: Diminishing distance

Police also utilize various channels, including seminars, workshops and online platforms, to provide training to different sectors such as social welfare and education, to raise public awareness and prevent domestic violence cases, Sun added.