To: Media
Harmony House's Response to Recent Shum Shui Po Tragedy
On the 5th of June 2023 morning, three young girls, aged between 2 to 5, were suffocated by their mentally disturbed Indian mother. The girls were rushed to hospital but confirmed dead. We, at Harmony House, are all deeply saddened by the news.
For families with mentally disordered sufferers or members who have a mental problem history, especially with adult patients, all teachers, social workers, and carers should be extra alert to the children's daily activities and physical conditions. They should investigate and support these families immediately if the children have absences from school, unusual behavior, and signs of bodily harm.
Ethnic minority families, with many children and low income, are likely to have economic hardship, problems with parenting and children's education which will cause conflicts in the family. Worse still, the cultural and religious differences, language and social barriers, make them isolated and less likely to seek and get sufficient professional help and support.
Harmony House believes that everyone in society should be committed to protecting children from violence and any form of abuse, and mutual support by relatives, friends and neighbours is essential for child protection. When you notice the following situations with any children in your community, especially families with mental patients, you should take the initiative to come forward, to understand the situation, to provide care and support, and to report to the relevant officials if necessary.
• Signs of bodily harm
• Are punished by standing outside the home for a long period
• Wear light clothing in cold weather
• Prolonged crying or screaming
• Wandering around unsupervised or are often left at home alone
If children are found to be injured, and you fail to stop the situation, you should seek help from relevant agencies. We hope we will all work together to protect children from harm and prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
We are deeply saddened by the serious family incident in Sham Shui Po. If anyone encounters any family problems/conflicts and needs help, please do not hesitate to seek support from trusted relatives and friends, or seek help from professionals.
Our Hotline Services
24-hour Woman Hotline: 2522 0434
Man Hotline: 2295 1386
Bunny hEars Children Hotline:L 2751 8822
Harmony House has been providing training and group services on parenting, case counseling for abused parents and abused children. We also use different levels of intervention methods, such as providing community education services for locals, new arrival and ethnic minority families, providing training and case sharing for teachers, medical staff, social workers and counselors in schools, hospitals and non-profit organisations, which aim to enhance the society's awareness of prevention of domestic violence, to identify and provide early identification and intervention for high-risk families.
For any enquires or interview arrangement, please contact Harmony House Executive Director Ms. Doris Lee or Senior Community Education Officer Ms. Susanna Lam at 2342 0072 or 5494 8702 (WhatsApp).
