100-Day Countdown to Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance: Save the Children Hong Kong’s "Child Protection Conference 2025" Unites Cross-Sector Forces
The event gathered nearly 150 professionals from the education and child-facing services sectors to explore frontline strategies. The Conference aimed to enhance participants’ awareness, knowledge and skills in child protection, ensuring all child-facing professionals are well-prepared for the new legislation and can collectively build a robust safeguarding network for children.
Save the Children Hong Kong hosted conference bringing together professionals from the education sector and child-facing NGOs.
The Conference provided a cross-sector platform for sharing practical experiences, listening to children’s voices, and engaging in in-depth exchanges with experts. Key topics included building a safeguarding organisational culture, responsibilities under the new law, and practical strategies to prevent harm to children.
Cross-sector Dialogue to Address Frontline Concerns
The Conference opened with a keynote speech by Kalina Tsang, CEO of Save the Children Hong Kong. With just around 100 days until the Ordinance takes effect, she emphasised that cross-sector collaboration is crucial at this pivotal moment: “The implementation of the Mandatory Reporting Ordinance marks a significant step forward in child protection for Hong Kong. But fundamental safeguarding begins with prevention. We must build a culture of prevention through cross-disciplinary collaboration—empowering every professional who interacts with children to play an active role across systems, institutions, and communities.”
She added, “Once the Ordinance is in force, we expect a rise in reported cases, especially those that have previously gone unnoticed or unspoken. Safeguarding children is not solely the responsibility of professionals—it is a collective duty. Society adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards child abuse. We cannot afford to be bystanders. I encourage everyone, if you suspect a child is at risk, speak up. Your action could protect a child’s life.”
Three Panel Discussions: From Systems, Practice to Frontline Challenges
The full-day Conference featured three thematic panel discussions, each exploring in-depth and comprehensive exchanges on different aspects of child protection, including the critical role of child-facing organisations, legal and practical challenges and opportunities of the Ordinance, and the prevention of child sexual abuse alongside survivor support.
In the first panel, child rights advocates highlighted organisations serving children play a crucial role in their lives and must establish robust safeguarding policies and cultures. From codes of conduct and staff training to personal data protection, every measure should aim to prevent harm. They stressed the urgency of building child-safe organisational cultures. With a surge in local child abuse cases—likely far exceeding reported figure, they called on society to address systemic gaps and strengthen child protection through policy, procedures, culture, and accountability.
The second panel focused on the implementation details, legal liabilities, safeguards, and practical operations for frontline personnel regarding mandatory reporting. Experts noted that while the Ordinance is a big step forward, its implementation still requires refinement. They engaged in in-depth discussions on reporting thresholds, legal liability, support mechanisms, and interdepartmental collaboration. Recommendations included clearer guidelines and legal safeguards to ensure frontline professionals are adequately supported when making reports.
The final panel centred on child sexual abuse. Speakers from youth organisations and sexual violence victim support organisations shared their experiences, challenges, and strategies. They stressed that prevention must go beyond post-incident intervention and should begin with education, systemic reform, and survivor-centred support. This includes training adults to identify risks, promoting evidence-based research, and providing tailored support for adult survivors. The panel called for greater societal awareness of the deep trauma caused by child sexual violence.
The Conference also featured breakout sessions covering topics such as positive parent-child communication, child protection in the online world, supporting harmed children, and strategies for addressing cyberbullying. These sessions helped frontline professionals strengthen their core safeguarding skills and response strategies.
Youth Voices: Designing Child-centred Systems
Children’s voices were a vital part of the Conference. In one session, youth representatives shared the "The hidden tragedies of children: abuses from friends and close adults”. They introduced a peer supporter programme that trains students to assist or observe peers who may be experiencing or at risk of abuse. They also advocated for mandatory personal rights education in school curricula and discussed ways to improve children’s access to NGOs and safeguarding services.
Looking Ahead: A Collective Commitment to Safeguarding Children
The Conference marked a significant step forward in Hong Kong’s child protection efforts. It not only prepared stakeholders for the upcoming legislation but also promoted a broader culture of prevention—one that is more alert and responsive to children’s needs. The discussions and collaborations initiated at the Conference are expected to have a lasting impact on child protection policies and practices across the city.
To foster a more robust child protection system, Save the Children Hong Kong’s campaign, "A Safe Childhood: As It Should Be?”, is launching a public petition. The initiative calls on all sectors of society to place child safeguarding at the forefront and urges the government to establish long-term policies in this area. Members of the public are invited to show their support by signing the petition and pledging to take action when encountering suspected abuse—reinforcing the vital message that protecting children is a shared responsibility.
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Save the Children Hong Kong
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Hong Kong and around the world, we do whatever it takes – every day and in times of crisis – so children can fulfil their rights to a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. With over 100 years of expertise, we are the world's first and leading independent children's organisation – transforming lives and the future we share.
Established in 2009, Save the Children Hong Kong is part of the global movement which operates in around 100 countries. We work with children, families, schools, communities and our supporters to deliver lasting change for children in Hong Kong and around the world.
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