The recent tragedy of an 80-year-old man killing his disabled wife for fear no one would take care of her if he were to fall sick should be a wake-up call for Hong Kong, where services for the elderly are far from adequate. With its rapidly ageing population, Hong Kong must do better to meet the social, physical and psychological needs of its elderly folk. Read More
Children who grow up in low-income households tend to have less access to opportunities and therefore are more likely to remain poor in adulthood. The fact that poverty often crosses generational lines makes the problem much harder to tackle.
According to the Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report, there were some 180,000 children (aged below 18) living in poverty in 2015. The child poverty rate was 18 per cent, which meant that nearly every one in five children were living in poverty. Compared with other developed economies, the child poverty rate in Hong Kong is relatively high. It stands at 3.7 per cent in Denmark, 9.8 per cent in Britain, 15.1 per cent in Australia and 21.2 per cent in the US. Read More
Paul Yip
Mental health is one of the major public concerns in our city. The first-ever Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey, which interviewed more than 5,700 people aged 16-75 between 2010 and 2013, found that nearly one in seven suffered from common mental disorders, such as anxiety or depression. Read More
Paul Yip
A recent visit to Beijing was a reminder of the cost and benefit of any economic development. Indeed, the spectacular growth rates of the past two decades have made China the world’s second-largest economy. But economic prosperity and rapid development has sadly come at the expense of the environment. Read More
Marty Forth & Paul Yip
Even in a city as wealthy and advanced as Hong Kong, there are still neighbourhoods where basic support services and programmes for children and families are insufficient. Read More
Jenny Huen & Paul Yip
In recent years, relations between different political camps and between different stakeholders (including the government) in Hong Kong have become increasingly strained and polarised. One of the fundamental reasons behind this phenomenon may be a difference in core values. So what are the values that Hong Kong people uphold, and how do they differ across political affiliations? Read More
Paul Yip
At a mental health conference held in Cairns last week, one of the topics was healthy body and healthy mind.
It is so important to invest in a healthy body, which is strongly related to a healthy mind. It is not rocket science to achieve a healthy body, namely through a balanced diet, regular exercise and good social support. Read More
Paul Yip
The Commission on Poverty provides detailed figures on the situation in Hong Kong and has just released the fourth update to the poverty line since it was set in 2013. The poverty line is set at half the median household income, according to household size. Those living below it are considered poor. As it is in relative term, there will always be a certain proportion of the population below the threshold. Read More
Paul Yip
Last month, I attended a Hong Kong Jockey Club forum on “Philanthropy for Better Cities”, which was all about creating shared value. It provided some excellent examples of how business can do well by doing good, a deeper and wider type of corporate social responsibility that involves more than just donating money to charities after making a profit. It is about how businesses can respond to the challenging needs of society and do it together by creating shared values with non-governmental organisations and the community at large. It pushes the boundaries and expands horizons. Read More
Paul Yip
The chairman of a government-appointed student committee has called on Hong Kong’s educators to “deeply reflect” on why the city cannot create a happy learning environment for its youth.
Led by Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, the committee was set up after a worrying spike in the number of youth suicides in the city between January and April this year. Read More
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