A prominent Hong Kong educational charity dogged with allegations of abuse at its student leadership camp has promised to implement behavioural guidelines for its instructors and review their training methods.
The Po Leung Kuk (PLK) Leadership Camp – organised on behalf of various local primary and secondary schools – was hit with numerous allegations of physical and verbal abuse last week. Students claimed that they were forced to eat grass and denied water after exercise, while police also told HKFP it received a report of sexual assault possibly associated with the camp.
In a press release, the PLK said that its advisory committee passed a series of resolutions on Monday.
The charity said it would implement immediate guidelines to regulate the behaviour of camp instructors, strictly review their training methods, and request teachers from participating schools supervise all camp activities.
No other details were disclosed.
Alleged abuse
The PLK also said that it contacted the schools mentioned in media reports of the alleged abuse in order to better understand their situations.
“Since last Saturday, we have called on the parties involved in relevant cases to provide information to us,” it said.
Last week, students at Cheung Sha Wan’s Ying Wa College and Shatin’s Christ College claimed that they were abused at the camp in various ways. A Ying Wa spokesperson confirmed to HKFP that an instructor brandished a knife in front of a student, while Christ College said that it was not aware of any instance where its students were forced to eat grass.
“In view of recent media reports, schools and institutions that have registered to participate in the training camp can cancel all arrangements,” added the PLK.
Established in 2006, the PLK Leadership Camp claims to help students realise their potential and improve their teamwork skills by organising physical activities in the rural New Territories for them.
