'Law changes on sex offences to be tabled by year-end'
Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Friday said the government aims to table legislative amendments to improve Hong Kong's sexual offence laws by the end of this year. The proposed changes include specifying 11 circumstances under which a victim will be deemed not to have consented to a sexual act, such as when the victim is mistaken about the nature or purpose of the act. The security chief…
Hong Kong's Secretary for Security, Chris Tang, announced plans to introduce legislative amendments to strengthen the territory's sexual offence laws before the end of the year. The proposed changes aim to clarify 11 scenarios where a victim is considered unable to consent to sexual acts, such as when the victim is unaware of the act's nature or intent.
The administration targets completion of the legislative process during the current term, according to Tang. The government received over 6,000 public comments during a month-long consultation, with 90% supporting the proposed amendments. The feedback addressed aspects like child and mental disability protection and strategies to safeguard victims.
Tang mentioned the Hong Kong Bar Association's support for a new offence of persistent sexual abuse of a child. Regarding deepfake images, Tang suggested expanding the Crimes Ordinance to include the distribution of sexual images to children, while noting that the Crimes Ordinance already covers deepfake image offenses and a justice secretary committee is reviewing AI-related crimes.
Written by urgent.news from RTHK English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
