BMJ 1996 Feb 24;312(7029):501-4

Children on hunger strike: child abuse or legitimate protest?

Mok A, Nelson EA, Murphy J, Hampson A, Hendriks JH
Department of Paediatrics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of
Wales Hospital, Shatin.

 The issue of children on hunger strike (voluntary total fasting) has not been reported before. The World Medical Association Declaration of Tokyo 1975 and the Declaration of Malta 1991 (revised 1992) provide clinicians with guidelines for the management of adult patients on hunger strike but do not mention children. We report the management of 14 Vietnamese children, aged 1 to 12 years, who took part in a hunger strike at a refugee detention centre in Hong Kong.