Advocating for Legal Reform on Sexual Offences

We are happy to see that the government has produced a legislative proposal after examining the views received during the public consultations on sexual offences.

• In the Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2021 of which the first reading was tabled at Legislative Council on March 24, 2021, the offences of Voyeurism, Non-consensual Recording of Intimate Parts and Related Image Publication Offences are proposed in a new section Part XII AA.

  
  

• For offence of voyeurism, contravention will attract a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment.

  
  

• For non-consensual recording of intimate parts for sexual purpose or for a dishonest gain, there will be a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment. As per our proposals, both “upskirting” and “down-blousing” are included.

  
  

• The publication of intimate images without consent, & non-consensual recording of intimate images would constitute an offence.

  
  

• Offences of voyeurism or non- consensual recording of intimate parts will be included under the Sexual Conviction Record Check Scheme for the better protection of children and mentally incapacitated persons from sexual abuse.

  
  

• Through the above efforts, the Zonta Club of Kowloon has played a contributing part in urging the Hong Kong Government and the Justice Department to implement necessary legal reforms. With development of media channels and cyberspace, we need to safeguard the privacy and safety of women and girls. The trauma inflicted on victims can be lifelong, and it can crush the victims' self-esteem forever. Advocating for legal reform on sexual offences is a long journey - it requires continuous efforts step-by-step, month after month, to advance our advocacy goals.