Sexual offence law changes to be tabled to LegCo by year-end

The government aims to table legislative amendments to improve the city's sexual offence laws by the end of this year, especially on targeting child abuse cases.

As the month-long consultation has ended, Secretary for Security Chris Tang says over 90% of submissions supported the proposed amendments.

As the one-month consultation period on the legislative amendments wrapped up on Wednesday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang says the government received more than 6,000 submissions.

More than 90% of them are in favour of the proposed overhaul of laws to expand the scope of sexual offences and step up the punishments.

The feedback noted the need to include non-consensual sexual offences involving children and persons with mental disabilities and step up protection for victims.

The security chief also said authorities would actively study calls to introduce a dedicated offence targeting persistent child sexual abuse, noting that the Hong Kong Bar Association had broadly endorsed the proposal.

He says the government will actively consider the relevant suggestion and maintain close communication with stakeholders, including members of the legal sector.

Tang says the proposed changes also 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.

They include addressing cases in which victims were duped into engaging in sexual intercourse by self-proclaimed exorcist or spiritual gurus, or when the victims were under the influence of alcohol or drugs or did not give consent verbally or through gestures.

The government targets to complete the legislative process within the current administration's term.