Hong Kong proposes sweeping overhaul of sex crime laws

Hong Kong authorities have proposed a major overhaul of outdated sexual offences laws, including criminalising same-sex rape, introducing new offences and establishing a uniform age of consent at 16 while removing gender-specific provisions and increasing penalties.

The government said the review was necessary to modernise sexual offence laws, two decades after the Law Reform Commission (LRC) set up a subcommittee in 2006 to examine the issue.

Eight proposed new crimes involving minors under 16 would target non-consensual sexual offences, abuse of vulnerable groups such as children, and offences of a preparatory nature aimed at early prevention of sexual exploitation.

In the document, the bureau proposed creating a new offence of having sex with a child under 16, regardless of gender, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Under existing law, sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment but if the victim is under 16, the maximum jail term is five years.