Hong Kong police report surge in child abuse cases, link rise in sexual assaults to minors spending more time outside as Covid-19 rules ease

Child abuse cases in Hong Kong have risen an alarming 70 per cent in the first eight months of the year, while the number of sexual assaults are also climbing as the pandemic levels off.

Police said that about 30 per cent of the 231 indecent assaults recorded over that period were committed in public places, an upwards trend linked to more children going outside following the gradual resumption of face-to-face classes.