and colonial secretary
James Stewart Lockhart at the opening of the Po Leung Kuk in 1896 In the late 19th century,
abduction and
trafficking of women and children were widespread in Hong Kong, under the
mui tsai system. On 8 November 1878, a group of local Chinese (Lo Lai-ping, Shi Shang-kai, Fung Ming-shan and Tse Tat-shing) presented a petition to the
governor of Hong Kong,
John Pope Hennessy, to set up the Po Leung Kuk to rescue the kidnapped victims, and the society was officially opened in August 1882. The stated objective of the Kuk, as it is informally known, is to care for the young and protect the innocent. In the early days, it was primarily engaged in suppressing
abduction of women and children and providing shelters and education for such victims. There were some difficulties with the colonial government, as a result of cultural differences, but the overall intention of improving the lot of unfortunates was earnestly pursued. However, it has been suggested Today the Po Leung Kuk has over 300 units providing a wide spectrum of services, including social services (including medical services), educational services, recycling centers, recreational services and cultural services. ==Services==