'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 Security Secretary, Chris Tang, announced plans to introduce legislative amendments to enhance the city's sexual offence laws before the end of the year. Key provisions in the proposed changes would detail 11 situations where a victim is considered not to have given consent, such as when the victim is unaware of the act's purpose. The administration aims to finalize the legislative process during the current term.
The government conducted a one-month public consultation, which concluded on Wednesday, and received over 6,000 submissions. Over 90 percent of these submissions backed the proposed amendments, providing constructive feedback. Tang emphasized that the feedback covered various aspects, including child and mental disability protection, as well as measures to strengthen victim support.
Regarding child protection, the Hong Kong Bar Association expressed general agreement with the creation of a new offence for persistent sexual abuse of a child. Tang also clarified that the transmission of sexual images to children could be addressed by expanding sexual offence legislation.
Tang noted that Hong Kong's Crimes Ordinance already covers offences related to deepfake images, and a committee led by the Secretary for Justice is conducting a broader review of offences related to artificial intelligence.
Written by urgent.news from RTHK News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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