Elder abuse

Legislation

Currently there is no legislation in Hong Kong specifically tailored for elder abuse.

The SWD referred to several Ordinances in their Procedural Guidelines for Handling Elder Abuse Cases, December 2003 (Revised in August 2006).

Those Ordinances are of general application and are not limited to instances of elder abuse.

Offences Against the Person Ordinance, Cap. 212, Laws of Hong Kong (e.g.: wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm (section 19); assault occasioning actual bodily harm (section 39); common assault (section 40), etc.)
Domestic and Cohabitation Relationship Violence Ordinance, Cap.189, Laws of Hong Kong. A court may grant an injunction against a spouse, a former spouse, or party to a cohabitation relationship and relatives thereof for the protection of persons from violence in domestic and cohabitation relationships.

Theft Ordinance, Cap.210, Laws of Hong Kong (e.g.: theft (section 9); robbery (section 10); obtaining property by deception (section 17), etc.)
Crimes Ordinance, Cap.200, Laws of Hong Kong (forgery (Part IX); false certification and personation (Part X))

There is no legislation dealing with psychological abuse, neglect or abandonment.

There are Ordinances governing the organizational and the structural aspects of residential care homes for the elderly (see: Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance, Cap.459, Laws of Hong Kong; Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Maternity Homes Registration Ordinance, Cap.165, Laws of Hong Kong) but they are not meant to provide protection against abuse.