Press Releases
SWAC discusses proposals to strengthen support for victims of domestic and sexual violence
The following is issued on behalf of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee:
The Social Welfare Advisory Committee (SWAC) today (June 22) discussed the
outcome of the Government's review on the services for victims of sexual
violence and proposed amendments to the Domestic Violence Ordinance.
Speaking after the SWAC meeting, the chairman of the SWAC, Mr Wilfred Wong, said
the committee welcomed the Government's proposed service model for victims of
sexual violence, adding that the committee agreed with the concept of the new
service model.
Under the new service model, there would be designated social workers who would
follow up sexual violence cases, a 24-hour hotline and outreach services
covering different regions of the territory. There would also be short-term
accommodation service for the victims.
"The most important thing is to have suitable personnel providing immediate
support to the victims and co-ordinating the work of different departments and
units, so the victims can go through all the procedures in a convenient, safe,
secured and supportive environment.
"We believe the Government's proposed model can effectively improve the existing
services and enhance the co-operation between different departments, which would
better take care of the unique needs of victims of sexual violence.
"The proposed new crisis intervention and support centre will also provide
services for victims of sexual violence as well as domestic violence, creating
synergy among different services and hence a more effective deployment of
resources," Mr Wong said.
As regards subvention, the committee supported the Government's long-standing
policy of encouraging different sectors in the community to participate in
social services through different means, including provision of funding support.
"At present, not all welfare services are funded by the Government. Some
services are supported by other funds or other resources in the community," Mr
Wong said. He considered that given the limited public resources, the Government
should make use of other resources in the society to provide suitable services
to the public.
In addition, the committee also discussed the Government's preliminary proposed
amendments to the Domestic Violence Ordinance. Mr Wong said that the committee
supported the Government's proposals.
"Members noted that the Government had made these suggestions having regard to
the views of different organisations and taken into account the overall
government policies and measures.
"We believe the proposals can help strengthen the protection for the victims of
domestic violence. We hope that the Government will take forward the legislative
proposals as soon as possible," he said.
Noting that domestic violence was a multi-faceted issue, Mr Wong said a
multi-pronged approach should be adopted to tackle the problem. Legislative
amendment was only part of the solution and could not solve all the problems, he
added.
"We understand that the Government has implemented a number of measures in the
past two years to strengthen its efforts in preventing and tackling domestic
violence. Such efforts should be duly recognised.
"We hope the Government will continue its work in this aspect, promote the
concept of harmonious family and co-operate with different sectors in the
community to deal with the issue", Mr Wong said.
Recognising the uniqueness and importance of the services provided to victims of
sexual violence, the Government has adopted different measures to improve the
services in the past few years.
Following a review on the issue, the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau and the
Social Welfare Department have proposed a new service model with a view to
providing better support to victims of sexual violence.
The new model comprises the following components:
1. 24-hour hotline service relating to the support for victims of sexual
violence;
2. 24-hour outreach service for sexual violence crisis cases;
3. Provision of designated social workers and strengthening the co-ordination of
relevant services;
4. Short-term accommodation service;
5. Medical support by the Hospital Authority; and
6. Provision of training to frontline professionals.
The bureau has also completed the review on the Domestic Violence Ordinance. In
the process, views of different groups and stakeholders were carefully
considered. The Government is now consulting relevant bodies on its proposed
amendments to the Ordinance. The Government hoped to be able to finalise the
proposals within this year, and proceed with the preparation of the legislative
amendments.
Ends/Thursday, June 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:54
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