Should errant (犯錯) children be punished by making them stand outside their homes or classroom? Such punishment is common in Hong Kong, but in the eyes of a Tsuen Wan magistrate, it may also amount to (note 1) child abuse (虐待兒童).
Magistrate Lambert Lee Ka-chai yesterday placed a couple on probation (守行為) for one year for making their daughter, nine, stand outside their Tsing Yi home because she was late home from school.
The girl was later found wondering (遊蕩) in the building lobby by a security guard who called police. The parents were arrested and charged with child abuse.
The couple spent 17 days in custody (拘留) before being put on probation. The father, surnamed Tang, 44, and his wife Ip, 35, had earlier pleaded (note 2) guilty to one count of ill-treatment or neglect (note 3) by those in charge of a child.
Ip worked casually (note 4) for a welfare group, earning HK$2,000 for dispatching (分派) food to elderly people. Tang receives HK$4,000 Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (綜援). The couple was denied bail before sentencing.
A Social Welfare Department spokesman said a doctor and social worker followed up (note 5) the case and the girl and her parents are fine.
The court earlier heard the parents were upset (心緒煩亂) when their daughter returned home late on May 31. As a punishment, they ordered her to stand in the corridor outside their flat in Cheung Wang Estate, Tsing Yi. It was 9.30pm. She ended up (note 6) wandering in the lobby and a report was made to the police by a security guard at 2am.
The daughter wrote the court a mitigating letter, saying she hoped the family could be reunited. The magistrate noted the family was close and the decision to leave the girl outside was a moment of misjudgment.
From good to better English:
(note 1) amount to=等同於 (Be equivalent to)。例句: Twenty persons attending Victor’s concert didn’t amount to a good turnout=只有20人出席Victor的演唱會，輒對不是高出席率。
(note 2) plead=答辯。plead ignorance=以不知道情況為藉口。plead for=懇求。Victor’s boss pleads for his favour =Victor的老闆替Victor說情)。
(note 3) ill-treatment or neglect=虐待或忽略照顧。Neglect=無視，不顧。neglect of duty 失職，玩忽職守。treat with neglect 不理睬，怠慢。
(note 4) work casually=臨時工 (廣東話叫散工)，a casual work。Casually=不在意地。not to treat Mo Mo’s warning casually=不要對Mo Mo的警告等閒視之。
(note 5) follow up=跟進。Julian followed up her interview with Chris Yeung with a phone call =Julian 跟Chris Yeung面談後再打電話給他。Follow=接著，跟著發生。Spring follows winter=冬去春來。Follow the lead of Prof Huang=效法黃教授。
(note 6) end up=結果 (Arrive at, result in, finish)。例句: We don't know how Bo Bo will end up=我們不知道Bo Bo結局如何。End=末端，終點。As the summer break draws to its end=在這暑假將要結束的時候。Achieve one's end=達到目的。
ctor’s View: Parents sometimes punish their kids to let them know what’s right or wrong. But in so doing, the kids’ safety must also be of great concern to the parents. After all, all parents love their children.
(Victor Fung Keung, director of HK Baptist University’s M.A. in international journalism program, has published 4 books on English-enhancement [the latest, titled <<學會演說、改變你的人生>>, was published on July 18] and plans to write 6 more by the end of 2012. Write to him: deanfungenglish@gmail.com)
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