Studies on family violence toward wives and children in Hong Kong, although limited, are consistent with the ecological model that explains this violence as the interaction of a confluence of factors that are at work at different levels. In this paper, four clinical cases are selected to demonstrate the applicability of the model in Hong Kong. The immigration background of the family, low socio-economic status, perceived lack of support, and Chinese values on obedience to authority stand out as contributory factors to violent acts. A multi-faceted and multi-leveled prevention program to achieve zero tolerance of violence is proposed that prescribes caution as to the possible double victimization of individuals and families by the larger social system.KEY WORDS: double victimization; ecological perspective; prevention; violence to women and children.On April 11, 2004, Hong Kongers were struck by the deaths of all four members of a nuclear family that was composed of an alleged homicidal husband and three victims, the wife and their twin daughters. As with similar incidents that have been reported in the past, the public, helping professionals, and the government were alarmed that family violence might have become a social problem in this Chinese community. Friends of the deceased wife, workers of the women's shelter at which the woman had stayed, helping professionals in the government Social Welfare Department, and non-governmental social services agencies pressed for a thorough review of the system that protects families and children in Hong Kong.
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