hamstringing

無料のEmailサービスで毎日受け取っているThe Japan TimesのToday's top news（8/1/2019）に次の記事がありました。
The overstretched system of dealing with child abuse
Limited manpower and a surge in the number of abuse cases are hamstringing efforts to adequately protect vulnerable children.
"hamstringing" はよく見かける単語ですが、腱とか筋を意味する "hamstringing" ばかり連想して、それ以外の意味が直ぐに出てきません。とりあえず記事の詳細を読みます。
Some prefectures and cities polled reportedly noted that limited manpower and a surge in the number of abuse cases make it tough to observe the 48-hour rule, while others said there’s a limit to putting only child welfare centers in charge of dealing with all suspected cases of child abuse — suggesting that some cases that appear to be of low urgency could be handled by local municipalities instead.
記事の本文では "are hamstringing" を "make it tough" と言い換えていますね。
英英辞書の説明を見ます。

・Oxford English Dictionary: Severely restrict the efficiency or effectiveness of.: we were hamstrung by a total lack of knowledge

・Collins Dictionary: If you hamstring someone, you make it very difficult for them to take any action.: If he becomes the major opposition leader, he could hamstring a conservative-led coalition.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: to limit the amount of something that can be done or the ability or power of someone to do something: The company was hamstrung by traditional but inefficient ways of conducting business.
"hamstringing" が切れる事を連想すれば良いのですね。