Hong Kong child abuse case prompts calls to watch for signs of psychological harm

Psychological abuse can be hard to detect, Hong Kong welfare experts have warned, urging social workers and teachers to look for subtle changes in children’s behaviour amid outrage over a viral video showing a girl carrying heavy bags of beer as her stepfather called her “useless”. Welfare groups said on Thursday that emotional and verbal abuse were among the most common yet least recognised forms of child abuse. Signs often emerged through changes such as social withdrawal and anxiety, they...