The government does not need to draw the public’s attention to every violation of codes of practice at care homes, Hong Kong’s welfare minister has said, arguing the decision to flag up a case should largely depend on the severity of the transgression.
Advertisement
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han defended the government’s position on Saturday after it emerged that warning letters had been sent to five care homes for people with disabilities over the past year over concerns they were not meeting standards to prevent the abuse of residents.
One facility was the Hong Chi Pinehill Integrated Vocational Training Centre Kwong Fuk Hostel, which received a letter in August.
A staff member has been charged with raping one female resident and sexually assaulting a male one at the facility that same month, but the case only emerged on Wednesday when the operator, the Hong Chi Association, and the Social Welfare Department made separate announcements.
Sun told the media on Saturday the government made the announcement due to the seriousness of the violation and social attention it was attracting.
Advertisement
“We believe that not all cases need to be fully disclosed to the public, as was done with the Hong Chi Association case,” he said. “Some violations are more technical and partial, and it is appropriate for us to handle them according to procedures.”