Hong Kong police arrest 3 workers from child protection society over abuse of at least 18 toddlers
- Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, a 95-year-old organisation, says it has fired accused staff
- Officers identify seven victims, aged two to three, before uncovering another 11 in review of playground surveillance footage
Three employees of a long-established child protection group in Hong Kong have been arrested over the abuse and neglect of at least 18 toddlers, including yanking their hair, hitting their heads, slapping their faces and tossing them on the floor, according to a police source.
Police revealed on Friday that officers arrested the three women, aged 23 to 44, on child neglect and abuse charges, punishable by up to a decade behind bars. The women worked for the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children (HKSPC).
The force took action on Wednesday after reviewing surveillance footage from an HKSPC children’s home in Mong Kok last Friday and identifying seven victims – six boys and a girl, aged two to three.
The source said officers then looked at footage from December 11 to 16 and identified another 11 victims, aged between one and three. All of the abuse took place in the outdoor playground during daytime.
More than 20 officers from the Kowloon West regional crime unit are checking footage to see if more victims are involved. The home has more than 100 children, the source said.
The HKSPC separately on Friday said it had fired staff involved in the case, after receiving a tipoff. It also made a police report. Police said a resident in the neighbourhood witnessed the alleged abuse.
