The parents of a 10-year-old girl seen struggling with heavy bags of beer in Tuen Mun have denied child abuse, claiming the task was meant as "muscle training" and explaining that her backpack broke from being stuffed with beer cans.
Speaking to Sing Tao Headline on Wednesday morning, the girl's 38-year-old father and 32-year-old mother clarified that the incident was a misunderstanding.
The mother, who suffers from epilepsy, said her husband had picked up their eldest daughter from school alongside their nine-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. She explained that the 10-year-old was carrying two bags containing a total of 16 500ml beer cans to "train her gross and fine motor skills," adding that her backpack ruptured when beer cans were packed inside.
An interagency team — including police officers, a vice principal, a discipline master, a school social worker, and Tuen Mun district councillor Leo Chan Manwell — conducted an emergency home visit at Fu Tai Estate around 10pm on Tuesday after neighbors identified the girl's school uniform online.
A female officer interviewed the girl and her younger sister individually in private, carefully inspecting them for injuries or signs of mistreatment.
The children explained that they had volunteered to help their parents carry the items. With no evidence of abuse found, the joint investigation team left around midnight.
Speaking on a radio program on Wednesday, Chan noted that while the case involved no illegal abuse, the parenting approach raised concerns. He added that district Care Teams, the school, and the Social Welfare Department will continue to monitor the family and offer appropriate assistance.
On the same program, Maple Lau Siu-kwan, director of Against Child Abuse, questioned the situation, saying adults must exercise judgment even if a child offers to help. She emphasized that forcing a child to handle burdens beyond their physical capability could cause psychological harm, stressing that parents have a responsibility to set appropriate boundaries.
