HONG KONG (China Special Administrative Region)

Large scale comparative research into the views and experiences of 3,322 children and 1,000 adults in 8 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea and Viet Nam) was carried out by Save the Children in 2005. The research in Hong Kong involved 72 children (36 boys, 36 girls) from urban areas and 51 adults. Methods used included research diaries, drawings, body maps, attitude survey, and discussions. Physical punishments mentioned by children in Hong Kong included hitting. Of those who were hit, 86.7% were hit with an implement (57.8% with sticks etc, 28.9% with a whip, lash or belt). Of those children who mentioned body parts where they were hit, 13% reported being hit on the face, 45% on the limbs, 27% on the back, and 1% on the genitalia. In terms of the settings in which children experienced punishment, the research found that in the home 71% of children experienced physical punishment and 29% emotional punishment, while in school 54% experienced physical punishment and 46% emotional. All respondents agreed with the statement “After I punish a child I feel unhappy”.

(Beazley, H., S. Bessell, et al., 2006, What Children Say: Results of comparative research on the physical and emotional punishment of children in Southeast Asia and Pacific, 2005, Stockholm, Save the Children Sweden)

In 2006, the results of the first household survey on domestic violence were reported. The survey was commissioned by Hong Kong Social Welfare Department and carried out by the University of Hong Kong, and involved interviews with 5,049 adults and 2,062 children aged 12-17 years. About 44% of the parents admitted having administered corporal punishment and physical violence on their children. Of these, 32% said they had used violence on their children at least once during the past 12 months.

(Reported in Xinhua, 2006, “Hong Kong University Calls to Ban Corporal Punishment”, CRIENGLISH.com, 2 March 2006, http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/811/2006/03/02/176@56844.htm; Yung, C., 2006, “Group seeks to  outlaw corporal punishment”, The Standard, 2 March 2006)

In 2003, Hong Kong Christian Service conducted an interview survey of 2,956 parents of adolescents from 17 secondary schools concerning their feelings when disciplining their children. Around 10% said they would resort to corporal punishment "frequently" or "periodically".

(Hong Kong Christian Service, 2003, "Survey on parenting", Christian Service News, vol. 41, October, cited in Save the Children, 2005, Discipline and punishment of children: a rights-based review of laws, attitudes and practices in East Asia and the Pacific, Save the Children Sweden)

A questionnaire survey of 489 secondary school students found that 4.5% reported having received corporal punishment from family members during the previous 6 months; 10.9% reported having been beaten for no reason by family members during that time; and 10.4% reported that they had ever been beaten to injury by family members.

(Lau, J.T.F., Chan, K.K., Lam, P.K.W., Choi, P.Y.W. & Lai, K.Y.C., 2003, "Psychological correlates of physical abuse in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents", Child Abuse & Neglect, vol. 27, pp.63-75)