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Following is a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, to a question by the Hon Albert Ho on unwed pregnant girls in the Legislative Council today (May 14):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows, since January 1, 2007, the total number of unwed pregnant girls aged under 18 who eventually terminated their pregnancy or gave birth in hospitals, their average age and, among the babies involved, the number of those who are placed in the custody of the Social Welfare Department or social welfare organizations; and
(b) of the assistance currently provided by the Government to unwed pregnant girls and unwed mothers, who are aged under 18, and whether it will provide additional resources to enhance the support and assistance to them?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) Pursuant to Regulation 4 of the Termination of Pregnancy Regulations, a registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy shall provide a notification with specified information to the Director of Health. According to the provisional figures collected by the Department of Health (DH) through these notifications, there were altogether 326 cases of lawful termination of pregnancy in 2007 regarding teenage girls under 18 who were never married. The average age of girls involved in these cases was about 16. Separately, according to Census and Statistics Department figures derived from the information which the Immigration Department collected on the mothers' marital status for birth registration purpose, there were 137 live births in 2007 given by girls aged under 18 who were without a valid marriage registration at the time. The average age of mothers involved in these cases was about 16. The relevant figures for 2008 are not yet available. On the other hand, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) does not have statistics on whether the mothers of babies placed in the care of the SWD or social welfare organisations are unwed and aged under 18.
(b) Various government departments, schools and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are working to help young girls understand and handle pre-marital pregnancy. For instance, the Education Bureau (EDB) encourages schools to implement preventive and developmental guidance activities to help students cope with their developmental challenges. In the guidelines on "Guidance Work in Secondary Schools", schools are encouraged to organise guidance activities to help secondary school students develop healthy attitudes in areas such as making friends and dating, which include getting prepared for relationship with the opposite sex, marriage and family life.
The EDB also promotes sex education at various key stages of school education. The aim is to help students understand and meet the challenges relating to "sex" in their personal growth, such as physical and psychological changes, sex-related issues during puberty, love, method of contraception, the consequences of sex, teenage pre-marital pregnancy and where to seek help, etc. Related topics are included in the school curriculum. Through discussion and reflection on these topics, students will learn how to consider and handle issues such as pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy in a responsible manner.
The Student Health Service under the DH provides sex education to students through distributing pamphlets, as well as organising workshops and health talks. The content includes body protection, relationship between opposite sexes, the consequences of pre-marital sex and the skills for refusal. The aim is to remind teenagers to avoid pre-marital pregnancies. Students known to have these problems will be counselled and referred to the Hospital Authority or the Hong Kong Family Planning Association for follow-up.
In addition, NGOs are providing the "one school social worker for each secondary school" service to all secondary schools in Hong Kong. The service aims to help students in need to resolve their personal problems. If unwed pregnant students approach school social workers for assistance, the school social workers will provide counselling and, depending on the nature and seriousness of the cases, refer them to relevant agencies / government departments for appropriate services. The school social workers will also contact other professionals and keep in touch with them so as to closely monitor the situation of the students concerned.
Separately, the Government has implemented the Comprehensive Child Development Service (CCDS) in phases since 2005. Using the Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) and other service units as the screening platform, the CCDS aims to identify at an early stage at-risk pregnant women (including teenage mothers), mothers with post-natal depression, families with psychosocial needs, as well as pre-primary children with health, developmental and behavioural problems. Women, children and their families in need are referred to appropriate health and welfare service units for follow-up.
As regards resources, a total of $30 million has been allocated to launch, improve and extend the CCDS. Starting from this year, additional recurrent funding of $12.7 million and one-off funding of $1.8 million will also be allocated to strengthen manpower support and improve service facilities.
The CCDS currently covers Sham Shui Po, Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long (including Tin Shui Wai), Tung Chung and Kwun Tong and will be further extended to Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing this year.
As to welfare services, the Government attaches importance to the welfare of children and youth. Through the 61 Integrated Family Service Centres (IFSCs) and two Integrated Services Centres run by SWD and subvented NGOs, the Government provides individuals and families in need, including unwed pregnant women, with a continuum of preventive, supportive and therapeutic welfare services. Services provided to unwed pregnant women by these centres include counselling to help them adapt to changes in roles, financial status and daily life; enhancing their knowledge and skills in baby care; and strengthening their capabilities in handling problems and stress; referral to MCHCs for pre-natal and post-natal services; and, where necessary, referral to pre-natal institutions for care and services, etc. If the unwed mothers have difficulties taking care of their children, the centres will refer them to receive child care services that suit their needs.
Where the unwed pregnant women eventually decide to give up the custody of their children owing to various reasons, SWD's Adoption Unit will find suitable and permanent adoptive homes for the children, or help the mothers of the children arrange for adoption by relatives through private arrangements. For some children with special needs, arrangement for overseas adoption will be made if suitable local adoptive homes are not available.
Since 2005-06, the Government has increased recurrent funding to strengthen the manpower of IFSCs according to district needs. The 2007-08 revised estimate for IFSCs is $612.9 million while the 2008-09 estimate is $646.5 million. We will continue to monitor the social demand for various services and seek new resources for service enhancement when necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Issued at HKT 11:37
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