2 women arrested over alleged child abuse after girl, 11, posts plea for help

Two women have been arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of child abuse after an 11-year-old girl posted videos on social media in a plea for help, capturing moments of emotional distress inside her home.

Police arrested a 61-year-old local woman and a 43-year-old foreign woman in Wong Tai Sin on Friday on suspicion of ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of a child or young person.

The girl, found with red and swollen limbs, was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei in a conscious state on Thursday and later transferred to the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital in Kowloon Bay, according to police.

The arrest followed the circulation of two distressing video clips recorded secretly by the child inside a home setting.

In the first video clip, filmed covertly, a man was heard aggressively shouting and insulting the sobbing child in a flat, hurling profanity and abusive phrases such as “even a kindergarten kid is smarter than you” and “you are just like your terrible mother”.

In the second video clip, the terrified girl is seen seeking refuge inside a room, pleading for help to the camera: “I need some help, my family is going crazy.”

Before she could finish her sentence, a woman began aggressively pounding on the door, screaming at her to shut up, leaving the girl trembling and weeping in fear.

Police said they received a referral of a suspected ill-treatment of a child by family members.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 27 of the Offences Against the Person Ordinance (Cap. 212).

The suspects are in police custody as the investigation continues.

The South China Morning Post has reached out to the girl’s school, the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department for comment.