Sadly, a two-month old infant was thrown down from a flat on the 8th floor by her mentally-ill mother last Friday. The mother has been suffering from schizophrenia for years, but failed to turn up at a prescheduled appointment to visit the government clinic, and had stopped taking her prescribed medication for some time.

When I heard the news, my immediate question was: why was a mentally-ill mother allowed to take care of an infant, who is completely defenseless against mistreatment? But then another question came up: Would taking the child away from the mom aggravate the illness? To be fair, then, there is a difficult dilemma.

According to news report, a case manager from the Kwai Chung Hospital last visited the couple in July. At that time the patient was stable and had been following the medication schedule. It was also reported that the husband was well aware of the risks and had put away the keys of the house, without realizing that the wife still had the key for the main gate. The wife was then able to open the gate and throw the baby down the building from the corridor. It is difficult then to find fault with any party.

The incident highlights, however, the need for an even more assertive attitude from all parties to help the defenseless. But this will require more resources and support from the government, and the government is well advised to commit more resources to protect the defenseless.

Going back to that sad incident, I would still think that the infant should not be under the care of the mentally-sick mother. To minimize the emotional problems of separating her from the child, the mother of course should be allowed to visit the child regularly, and even to nurse her under supervision. But unsupervised custody of a totally defenseless infant by a mentally-sick mother seems to me unthinkable.

This sad incident followed on the heels of another similar incident that occurred four months ago in Sau Mau Ping. That one involved a mentally-ill husband killing his wife and then committing suicide. The incidents do highlight the importance of greater sensitivity and a more proactive attitude among all parties concerned to protect the otherwise defenseless.

In modern society and especially in a densely populated metropolis like Hong Kong, hazards of all kinds abound. But Hong Kong is considered one of the safest cities on Earth, thanks to the hard work of many parties, particularly the police and the firemen, who are there to serve and to protect.

This is also thanks to our learning from the lessons of the past. Following the collapse of the building at 45 Ma Tau Wai Road in 2010, the Buildings Department launched the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme and Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme. Following the collapse of a tree in Stanley killing a teenager in 2008, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department stepped up monitoring of such trees, and the Development Bureau set up a Tree Management Office.

But even more important than organizational changes and the setting up of new rules is a change in attitude: we all need to be more proactive in taking up the cause of protecting the defenseless.

Many people are particularly worried about the huge signboards that overhang busy streets and thoroughfares, which could be a time bomb ticking and threatening the safety of locals and tourists. This is especially worrisome during the season of typhoons. Perhaps the Buildings Department should turn its attention more to these threats than clearing away illegal but safe structures. Perhaps each of the signboards that overhang streets and roads should be registered and their owners required to verify their safety every year.

The case of certain Japanese baby formula that failed to provide babies enough iodine is another case in point. Mothers do not have the knowledge or the expertise to tell if their baby foods are up to the mark. Babies fed on such sub-par foods could suffer adverse health effects on babies' thyroid glands and brains. To ward off such risks, more testing of foods will be required.

A government that is proactive in protecting HK and its citizens will win support.

The author is director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies, Lingnan University.

(HK Edition 08/14/2012 page3)