Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said the death of a five-year-old boy, who's believed to have been abused, highlighted the need to take forward legislative work on the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse.

The child was found unconscious with multiple injuries in a sub-divided flat in Sham Shui Po on Saturday and died after being taken to hospital.

His pregnant mother has been charged with murder and was remanded in custody after appearing in court on Monday.

Speaking ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting, the chief executive said he was greatly concerned and saddened by what happened.

"This case shows exactly that we must take forward our legislative work on the mandatory reporting requirement for suspected child abuse cases. We must complete the consultation and legislative exercise as soon as possible," Lee said.

"For child abuse cases, there must be a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental effort. There must be suitable training and guidelines, so everyone knows what needs to be done and how the guide should be executed."

Welfare Secretary Chris Sun later said he chaired a virtual meeting with more than 200 representatives from the social welfare sector over the proposed bill on the mandatory reporting requirement for suspected child abuse cases.

In a social media post, the minister said the exchange touched on various issues, such as details of the bill, reporting channels, training, and administrative support, adding that the government would continue to hold consultation sessions this month.

After that, Sun said, the working group on this matter would further study the opinions collected, report its findings to lawmakers, and table the bill to the Legislative Council as soon as possible.

______________________________
Last updated: 2022-09-06 HKT 15:50