And parents actually caused the deaths in
about 15 percent of cases, according to a government panel that reviewed the
situation.
The panel studied 238 deaths heard by the
coroner's court (死因裁判法庭) and pointed to 82 unnatural causes(非自然因素).
Among them were 26 suicides (自殺), 23 accidents and 18 physical attacks (遭受襲擊). And parents were linked directly to 23 of
these deaths.
"Homes are important, but they are not
the safest place for children," Child Fatality Review Panel (兒童死亡個案檢討委員會) chairman Leung Nai-kong said.
Eight of the suicides were due to breakdowns (破裂) in family relationships and 11 over homework
or conduct at school.
The youngest was nine years old, and the
child's death was said to have been caused by expectations being too high.
"Parents should avoid putting too much
pressure on their children," Leung said.
Thirteen of the dead from attacks were
victims of their own parents, who also decided to end their own lives.
Several others died because of negligence (疏忽). One was an infant
who fell from an open window as the mother was disposing (處理) of a just-changed diaper.
Such an incident could be avoided if parents
made their homes safer by installing window bars, Leung pointed out.
Another child died after drinking methadone(美沙酮) left
in a fridge by parents.
Six deaths listed as unclassified (未經分類的) were
babies who shared beds with parents. "There were no medical explanations (說明) for
these deaths,, but it's certain that parents sleepingwith their infants
is not a good practice,"
said Yu Chak-man, convenor (會議召集人) of the medical group in the panel.
The doctor also quoted the British Medical
Journal(英國醫學雜誌) as saying that children under three months
sleeping with parents have a fatality rate(病死率) five times higher than those who sleep on
their own.
"Parents need to be educated,"
Leung added. "Getting married does not mean they know about parenting (管教子女方法)."
The panel made 21 recommendations to prevent
child deaths.
The Social Welfare Department, accepting the
recommendations, noted that collaboration (合作) among
government departments is needed.
"We have organized educational programs
to strengthen family relationships and prevent domestic violence," said
Fung Man-chung, an assistant director.
Efforts would include creating friendships at
schools that would lead to teachers and school social workers being told when a
youngster was suicidal.
Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre (明愛向晴軒)supervisor Paulina Kwok Chi- ying said not
only parents but society as a whole should share the blame.
Society promotes competition that forces
parents to set goals for their children that could cause tragedies, she said.
"Children learn to compare themselves
with people around them, such as their schoolmates and relatives, because they are taught to stand out from the crowd to
secure respect (獲得尊重),recognition (賞識) or even interests (關注),"
Kwok said.
"Those who cannot stand the pressure or
feel lost may end up killing themselves." So parents should be aware (察覺的) of
signs (徵兆) of depression and be ready to seek help for
children who need it. Besides setting goals, parents need to provide
encouragement."
Candy Chan
A recent report by the Child Fatality Review Panel found 238 deaths of children below 18 in 2008 and 2009. It pointed to 82 unnatural deaths due to their parents who lacked a sense of crisis on parenting as well as expecting too much of them. Also, thirteen of the deaths were killed by their parents after the latter made a decision of suicide.
回覆刪除It is shocked for the public to learn about that sad news. Were those parents of the murderesses cruel to their kids? I do not think so. Instead, they did because of their love for their children were very great. The former did not want to leave them. Maybe some of them did it for revenging to their mates who had betrayed them. Or some suffered from depression. They handled all of matters with low emotional quotient and often felt hopeless and unhappy. Facing difficulties with negative attitude, they did not have the courage to live. However, I do think they made a decision of suicide that is a good way to solve their problems. If those parents had positive attitude to face hardship, they would not have killed those innocent of their kids. After all, the former did not have the right to kill them whether they loved their own children or not.
Parents should protect their kids from home accident. Nevertheless, we occasionally read the news about kids who fell from an open window by without installing window bars, or they were burnt by a fire breaking out in their flats. Leaving their kids alone at home for shopping, the careless parents might lose theirs in seconds. It is too late for them to be sorry for their children by child negligence.
Parents should not put pressure on their children’s homework or to compare their results with others. It makes those kids lack of confidence to their peers as well as losing interest in their schooling. Parents no need to do such as meaningless matters. On the other hand, parents and teachers should work together to lead children to improve their thinking, and help them to develop positive study habits. I hope all children to have a happy childhood.
Cherrie Tam
I do think they made a decision of suicide that is a good way to solve their problems.
回覆刪除It should be I do not think they made a decision of suicide that is a good way to solve their problems.
Cherrie Tam