You can go to the Integrated Family Service Centres / Integrated Services Centres in your district and seek help from the social workers on duty as well as the 24-hour Hotline of Po Leung Kuk Women Refuge Service at 81001155. Staff on duty are willing to listen to your needs, helping to analyze the situation, providing information and setting up safety plans.

Support Programme for Victims of Family Violence, operated by Po Leung Kuk Tsui Lam Centre, will provide information of related legal proceedings and social support service, emotional support and escort service as well as protection to abused spouse/cohabiting partner and children to minimize their fear during the justice process and to help them resume normal life. Please dial 28948896 for any inquiries.

For any reason, no one should be subjected to violence. The main cause for domestic violence is the unequal relationship between you and your partner in which your partner chooses to predominate you with violence, to harm your self-esteem and even to makes you doubt yourself and feel helpless. It is in fact your partner’s fault and he must take his responsibility for such selective violent behaviour. You can try to tell people you trust about what you are facing or contact us at 81001155.

To break silence is the first step towards resolution.

Domestic violence can constitute a criminal offence. Receiving a report, the police are responsible for ensuring your safety and conducting an investigation. You can demand a separate statement-taking from your partner, an examination in hospital and a referral to social worker. The police will also provide you with a report reference and a Family Support Service Information Card (Pol. 1130c) in which relevant welfare information and social services are introduced for your reference. Please keep the information card in case.

Moreover, you can apply for an order from the court through civil proceedings to restrain your partner from molesting.

If you are greatly disturbed or even your personal safety is threatened keeping on living with your partner, you can choose to separate temporarily. Your first priority should be the safety of yourself and your children. There are 5 refuge centres for women in Hong Kong providing free short-term accommodation for abused women and their children. Each centre has established a 24-hour Hotline to arrange accommodation for people in need.

If you decide to leave your partner, bear in mind to do so under safe condition because your partner may be provoked for losing his predominance over you and intensify his violence, risking yourself and your family members.

Parents are responsible for taking care of their children, including providing protection and a safe environment to grow up. When domestic violence occurs, your children may blame themselves and they may be in serious helplessness for the inability or fear in expressing themselves. If their emotions are not appropriately handled, relationship with parents and social and learning performances are possibly further affected. Therefore, you can try to talk with your children to understand their thoughts and moods and to clearly deny their thoughts of attributing themselves to domestic violence and explain and adapt them to the changes in future life. In case of any difficulties, you can seek professional assistance from social workers.

If you decide to leave your partner not with your children, you must ensure they will be provided with appropriate care after your leave or you should bring them with you to ensure their safety. If you leave alone, you should understand your children’s need for connection with parents living away. For a healthy growth of children, parents should show their care even not living with them. Po Leung Kuk Child Visitation Service - “Life Journey with Children” can provide relevant assistance for you. Please dial 28948896 for further details.

A refuge centre for women is a temporary safe accommodation provided to women and their children under domestic violence or crisis. For safety reasons, the addresses of the centres are confidential.

There are currently five refuge centres for women in Hong Kong. Despite different locations and environmental designs, generally, basic daily amenities such as bedrooms, bathrooms, washrooms, kitchens, washing machines and etc are all offered. Besides, various kinds of visual-audio facilities, computers and toys are provided to cater for different needs. In general, these facilities are shared. Maximum accommodation duration is three months in which no fee is charged.

Apart from accommodation service, social workers in the centres also provide all kinds of support services of emotion and daily life.

Domestic violence is equally possible on same-sex partners but you may have other concerns. For example, you may worry about “Coming Out” when seeking help from others; or your partner may even prevent you from seeking help by threatening you with “Coming out” or claiming most helping organizations are anti-homosexual, resulting in your fear, isolation and helplessness. In fact, you are welcome to seek help from refuge centres for women. Staff have received relevant training and understand the concerns of homosexuals. Therefore, information you provide will be handled with care in accordance with the principles of confidentiality.

If you have sufficient time and are under safe conditions, please bring your and/or your child(ren)’s identity documents, marriage certificate (if applicable), cash, keys of your home, common medicine, clothing, a mobile phone, your child(ren)’s school uniforms and books. The centres also provide emergency supplies such as brushing tools, clothing and food.