On Wednesday, in his fourth Policy Address, the chief executive, John Lee Ka-Chiu, unveiled an imaginative blueprint for Hong Kong’s transformation. He saw it becoming a powerhouse for life sciences, energy, artificial intelligence and aerospace, with vast investment envisaged. The city will be plugged into China’s strategic priorities, with its status as a global financial leader and competitive talent hub rigorously enhanced.

It is a bold agenda, and everybody will wish the government well in its implementation. However, not all the proposals were headline-grabbing, and public welfare issues were also addressed. They included child safety, an issue Lee has prioritized. Thanks to him, the reporting of child abuse will become mandatory for child-care professionals on Jan 20 — a much-needed reform which aligns Hong Kong with other advanced jurisdictions.

However, child abuse remains a serious concern, and far more needs to be done to combat it. In June, for example, the Social Welfare Department reported a three-year high for 2024, with 1,504 registered child abuse cases. Yet those statistics, while alarming, tell only part of the story, with most cases never appearing on the radar.

Many children live in straitened circumstances, often in cramped and sometimes unhealthy conditions. This not only hampers their studies but also endangers their safety. When tempers flare in the summer heat, the most vulnerable can find themselves on the receiving end.

All too often, children face domestic beatings, verbal abuse and arbitrary punishment, including scapegoating and isolation. Many suffer in silence, bottling up their pain. They have no idea to whom they can turn for help, and fear that even if they do complain, they will not be taken seriously. Not all can cope, and some snap, as the Policy Address has recognized.

Between, for example, last November and this June, the Social Welfare Department handled 243 suicide-related referrals from schools, while the Hospital Authority received over 100 such cases.

In the first eight months of this year, the Education Bureau recorded 23 suspected suicide cases among students, with 28 deaths recorded in 2024, and 32 the year before.

What is clear, therefore, is that suicide prevention among youngsters is one of Lee’s priorities. Mental health is a significant challenge that must, so far as possible, be addressed by stakeholders. Although there is no single means of preventing suicidal tendencies (or worse) among the young, Lee has embraced a holistic approach focused squarely on child safety, which is a big step in the right direction

In 2023, moreover, a research team led by Hong Kong Polytechnic University Professor Jasmine Zhu Shimin, a member of the Mental Health Research Centre, made some alarming findings. It examined two age groups, based on an extensive school-based survey comprising 541 grade 4-6 students and 3,061 grade 7-11 students from 15 schools. It reported that suicidal thoughts, associated with depression, bullying, and loneliness, were identified in 17.51 percent of secondary school students and 15.76 percent of primary school students.

Moreover, attempted suicides were reported in 7.84 percent of secondary school students and in 8.17 percent of primary school students, again linked to bullying and depression. These were truly shocking revelations, and something had to be done — step forward, John Lee.

In late 2023, his government, as a first step, following a spike in suspected suicide cases among primary and secondary school students, introduced, on a trial basis, the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism (the Mechanism) for secondary schools. Its function is to provide professional help for students deemed at high risk of suicide.

Whereas the Mechanism’s first tier involves the schools in facilitating professional help and treatment for students at a higher risk of suicide, the second tier involves the Education Department in providing backup (if required) by organizing an off-campus support network. Under the third tier, school principals refer students with severe mental health issues to the Hospital Authority for specialist psychiatric help.

Although the new law mandating child abuse reporting will undoubtedly help to alleviate the plight of distressed children, it is not a panacea, as the government realizes.

Therefore, Lee’s announcement last week that the Mechanism will not only be made permanent but also extended to primary 4 to 6 pupils on a trial basis is doubly welcome. Students at all levels require support, and its extension places a much-needed focus on the problem of suicidal tendencies among younger children. As the lawmaker (and educationist) Chu Kwok-keung has explained, “This mechanism will help us intervene and provide support earlier, potentially preventing tragedies.”

Chu also urged the government to provide enhanced training in counseling for front-line teachers and to make dedicated support counsellors a fixed part of staff establishments (he was hopefully pushing on an open door).

What is clear, therefore, is that suicide prevention among youngsters is one of Lee’s priorities. Mental health is a significant challenge that must, so far as possible, be addressed by stakeholders. Although there is no single means of preventing suicidal tendencies (or worse) among the young, Lee has embraced a holistic approach focused squarely on child safety, which is a big step in the right direction.

The author, a senior counsel and an honorary consultant to the Child Protection Institute of Against Child Abuse, was previously the director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.