His call on Saturday came after an online video showed a girl carrying packs of beers at Fu Tai Estate in Tuen Mun as her father stood beside her went viral.
Her parents – who were arrested on Wednesday for alleged “ill-treatment or neglect by those in charge of child or young person” – claimed later in an interview with local media that they had been training the girl, who is 10 years old.
Lam said the environment also matters for exercising.
“Exercising is certainly good, but it is not appropriate to train a child in the sort of environment we saw in the video,” he said.
“Encouraging children to exercise is beneficial to them in every aspect – physically and mentally.
“But we need to have a loving environment where children feel accepted and safe, instead of one that is intimidating or oppressive as this will have a major impact on the children’s mental health.”
Lam said that a multi-disciplinary case conference, which includes professionals such as doctors and social workers, will be convened soon regarding the girl and her two siblings to offer appropriate advice to the Social Welfare Department in deciding what is best for the children.
