Survivors of Prolonged Child Sexual Abuse Urge Hong Kong to Introduce New Legal Offense

While most Hong Kong children find safety at home, Bobo* endured constant fear throughout her primary and secondary school years, always searching for a place to hide within her flat.

“Every day, I had to figure out how to evade that person and find another safe spot inside the flat,” said the young woman, who was repeatedly sexually abused by a family member.

Mui*, another survivor, described nights and school breaks as her most harrowing times. She would often wake in terror, realizing the rest of the family was either asleep or away, leaving her alone with her stepfather.

Beyond sexual abuse starting at age 13, Mui’s stepfather also subjected her to verbal and physical abuse, even forcing her to leave the home as punishment.

“I felt completely stripped of my freedom,” said the 25-year-old, who stayed silent in her youth out of fear that speaking up could put both herself and her mother at risk of losing their home.

Survivors like Bobo and Mui are advocating for Hong Kong to establish a specific legal offense addressing persistent child sexual abuse, targeting repeated abuse over extended periods. Their call coincides with the Security Bureau’s upcoming public consultation on revising sexual offense laws, which have largely remained unchanged since the 1950s.

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