Your Voice: Empower domestic violence survivors, accessible learning resources (long letters)

Around the world, many suffer from an unforgivable and intolerable issue: domestic violence.

Domestic violence victims face unimaginable physical harm, emotional abuse, manipulation and financial control – a few of the many behaviours this term covers. Survivors may have post-traumatic stress disorder and struggle to make new connections and relationships, including partnerships.

According to the World Health Organization, roughly one in three women and one in four men worldwide have experienced physical violence from a partner in their lifetime. Another study from the Social Welfare Department in Hong Kong showed a significant increase in domestic violence cases in the city over the last four years.

Victims often struggle to get support from authorities. There are times when victims, seeking help, are ignored by police officers who view the intimate partner violence as an ordinary dispute between a couple. Consequently, these victims may face further physical harm when the police call their partners to escort them home. How ridiculous!

Your Voice: Music therapy and community-centred redevelopment (short letters)

The government should establish adequate shelters and hotlines where victims can find safety and emergency help. These shelters must eventually empower survivors to escape the distressing situation and find peace.

No individual should have to live in fear and pain.

While adults must learn how to protect themselves from violence, it is also crucial to educate teenagers and children. Schools and charitable organisations should teach pupils and students about domestic violence early, to protect themselves but also to prevent them from becoming abusers.

It is necessary to teach everyone about the signs of domestic violence so they can take action when faced with the issue or notice others exhibiting such behaviour. We must be cautious, especially when forming relationships. If you sense something is amiss, there is no shame in leaving someone.

If you are facing domestic violence, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial 999 in an emergency, call +852 2537 7677 for the Legal Aid Department hotline or +852 2522 0434 for Harmony House shelter, and reach out to RainLily. See a full list of resources here.

Harvey Dai Jinfeng, Lung Kong WFSL Lau Wong Fat Secondary School

Hong Kong’s hyper-competitive academic environment drives every student to work hard to improve their performance and achieve good grades in the Diploma of Secondary Education. It is a challenging journey to secure their future, and an essential part is completing numerous past papers and exercises.

I propose that all past DSE papers should be made accessible to every student.

Implementing this measure would make learning resources easily accessible, addressing the achievement gap – a difference in academic performance between certain groups of students.

While a wide range of learning materials and exercises are available online, their quality varies significantly; some are even outdated or misleading.

By making official past papers accessible to all students, schools can ensure a reliable and high-quality resource bank for learners – especially marginalised and low-income students.

Your Voice: Let students sleep, promoting environmental initiatives (long letters)

The gap between wealthy and disadvantaged families leads to a marked difference in access. These students often cannot afford extra papers and materials or attend expensive tutorial classes.

Providing past papers to all students would be a crucial step toward closing this gap and giving underprivileged students a fairer chance to succeed academically and professionally.

In addition, this policy can significantly improve all students’ academic performance and problem-solving skills. Consistent practice is integral to academic success. Access to a broader range of practice materials allows students to target specific areas of weakness and strengthen their understanding of key topics.

Solving a variety of past paper questions also helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they are exposed to different question formats and difficulty levels. This consolidates their knowledge and boosts their confidence, leading to better exam results.

In conclusion, developing a past paper archive to share with all students will support their academic journey. Implementing this measure will help Hong Kong secondary schools create a more equitable education system and empower students to reach their full potential; it is fair and levels the playing field while helping all students achieve better results.