Benchmark: When Children Testify, Courts Should Understand

Hong Kong’s Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance (Cap. 650), in force since January 2026, is driving a rising wave of abuse cases into courts that have no dedicated, trauma-informed bench guidance. Children’s evidence too often collapses under cross-examination when normal trauma responses, such as delayed, fragmented disclosure, are mistaken for lying. Benchmark is Hong Kong’s first digital, trauma-informed child-protection benchbook: a vetted, citationgrounded reference judges consult, with an AI query layer, that helps judges apply special measures and avoid re-traumatisation. Built on HKDI’s court-language research and governed by a retired-judge-led editorial board, it makes courts measurably safer for children at risk.