Perception of parents of generation X and Y towards child abuse in Hong Kong

Abstract

 Child abuse and underreporting of such cases is a global problem. The purpose of this research is to find out how parents of today perceive child abuse and whether their personal experience of child abuse plays a role in forming their perception and thus affecting their treatment towards their children, and which theories, namely Social Learning Theory, Social Bonding Theory and Attachment Theory, best explain the phenomenon. As no one is under statutory duty to report suspected cases in Hong Kong, the number of reported cases each year is believed to represent only the tip of the iceberg. There have been calls for the HKSAR Government to establish a mandatory reporting system so that all individuals who regularly interact with children should report suspected child abuse cases in order for the children to receive immediate intervention. Thus, the other purpose of this research is to find out how ready these parents are to report suspected child abuse cases and how they see mandatory reporting.

A convenience sample of 12 adults who are parents of at least one child were chosen from the demographic groups, namely Generation X and Generation Y. Data was collected from them by way of questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The result revealed that the participants perceived violent physical acts as child abusive behaviours and parents of Generation Y were slightly more likely than those of Generation X to see physical acts performed on children as abusive behaviours. It also revealed that Social Learning Theory best explained the phenomenon.

While most of the participants believed that the reporting mechanism in Hong Kong was sufficient and felt hesitant in agreeing to implement a mandatory reporting system, in working towards the prevention of child abuse, it is recommended to impose a duty to report on family members living in the same household and professionals including teachers, tutors, social workers, medical doctors, nurses and healthcare workers.