HK police looking at separating young protestors from parental care

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/hong-kong-protest/1558786.html

A 14-year-old Hong Kong girl arrested for scribbling graffiti on a wall famous for the pro-democracy messages it carried has been sent to a children's home, her lawyer said on Tuesday (Dec 30).

Police detained the girl for drawing a flower with chalk on the "Lennon Wall", a staircase at the main Admiralty protest site which became plastered with brightly-coloured notes of support for the democracy movement.

The teenager was arrested in the early hours of Dec 23 after scrawling on the wall and was detained for 17 hours, said solicitor Patricia Ho.

She was sent to a children's home on Monday for three weeks while a court considers a police application for a care and protection order which could see her removed from her father's care, said Ho.

She described the move as "disproportionate" and "shocking".

In a separate case, a 14-year-old boy could also be removed from his parents following his arrest as police cleared the Mongkok protest camp in late November. Police have applied for a care and protection order for him.

"These types of orders are usually sought in extreme cases, for example the child is on drugs, or trading drugs or prostituting themselves," Ho told AFP. "It's a very worrying trend ... it's imposing a climate of fear."

A social worker will investigate the case before the next hearing in January, Ho said. The next hearing in the teenage boy's case will also take place in January.

Police told AFP they did not have a total figure for the number of minors detained. But some as young as 13 were arrested at small Christmas protests in Mongkok, according to police statements.

Police said they could not comment on the cases as legal proceedings were ongoing, but confirmed that neither teen had been charged since their arrest.