Police on Wednesday arrested the parents of a young girl who was filmed to be lugging packs of beer on the streets of Tuen Mun, while her father stood beside her.

The 38-year-old man and his 32-year-old spouse have been detained on suspicion of "ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of child or young person".

Officers from the Child Abuse Investigation Unit launched a probe after a passerby captured the scene on Tuesday and posted the video on social media, drawing widespread attention.

The nearly four-minute video, filmed at Fu Tai Estate, showed the girl – understood to be around 10 years old – holding one bag of beer in each hand while carrying a damaged backpack and wearing a school uniform.

A man and two children appeared to accompany the girl.

Police have referred the case to the Social Welfare Department. In a media response, the department said social workers had reached out to the family, and a multi-disciplinary case conference will be convened to assess their needs.

A follow-up plan will be formulated to provide assistance and support based on the child's health and developmental status, as well as the family's caregiving capacity.

The school the girl attended issued a statement in the early hours of Wednesday, saying social workers and teachers had immediately intervened and pledged to continue following up on the case.

It also asked the public to stop forwarding or sharing the video to protect the girl's privacy and mental health.


Edited by Aaron Tam