3 days Ago By James Lee
More than 90 per cent of children living in inadequate housing have experienced spinal health issues, an anti-poverty NGO has found, as it called for families with children to be prioritised in the queue for public housing. The Society for Community Organization said that children living in subdivided housing suffered under inadequate, often cramped living conditions, with most not having proper desks to work on. At a Sunday press conference, SoCO said the survey results reflected a children’s rights issue, invoking the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which became applicable in Hong Kong in 1994.
Andrew Lung of the Hong Kong Chiropractic College Foundation said at the press conference that bad posture from doing homework in bed could lead to degenerative issues. Andy, who is in his first year at secondary school, said he could not sit straight when working on the bottom bunk of his bed. “Otherwise my head will hit the upper bunk,” he said.
Between September and November, 503 children aged between seven and 18 from low-income families were surveyed. About 82 per cent lived in subdivided flats ranging from around 5 to 18.5 square metres.
There are about 108,200 subdivided flats in Hong Kong, according to official data, about a third of which are expected to be deemed subpar under recently proposed regulations . According to SoCO, there are almost 50,000 children aged below 18 living in subdivided flats, as well as other forms of inadequate housing such as cubicle homes. Of the children surveyed, 234 received spinal examinations.
Of those who underwent spinal checks, 93.6 per cent had at least one mild or serious spinal condition. Thirteen of the children were suspected to have developed scoliosis.
About three quarters of the families surveyed said the children did not have their own desk or fixed workspace, while 71 per cent said they did not have their own bed. “These children have to do their homework on beds, chairs, and dining tables, living in a poor environment with expensive rents. This is a serious violation of.
.. the right to housing and the right of children to grow up healthily,” SoCO said in a statement.
SoCO’s Deputy Director Sze Lai-shan urged the government to allow families with children under 12 years of age – not just newborns – to be given priority in the public housing queue. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee last year announced a cash handout scheme aimed at boosting the city’s birth rate. The move also extended to housing incentives, allowing families with newborns who were in the queue for public housing to have their wait times reduced by a year.
About 2,300 public housing applications being reduced by a year as of this September, according to a Legislative Council document. Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team.
