Society

Advocates and sexual offence survivors on Saturday urged the government to pursue broader legal reforms beyond current proposals at the Sexual Offense Reform Forum. This call came ahead of a government plan to launch at public consultation on the reform of the city’s sexual offense laws later in 2026. The forum examined whether proposed reforms adequately address the realities faced by sexual violence survivors. Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities and the Equality Rights Project at the HKU Faculty of Law, the event attracted around 200 participants from online and in person. Jessie, a representative of a sexual offence survivors’ advocacy group, called for stronger reforms to Hong Kong’s consent laws, outlining three key changes not included in the Law Reform Commission’s recommendations. Three changes include: silence or lack of resistance must not be interpreted as consent; if consent was never sought, the accused cannot rely on a claim of “honest but mistaken belief” in consent; and the law should provide a clear statutory definition of both consent and the absence of consent. “I went through sexual assault, reported it to the police, and attended court. In the end, the defendant was acquitted because of how the law is written,” Jessie said. She said the defence repeatedly questioned why she did not physically resist, asking why she did not hit, bite or kick the offender, call for help, or leave the scene. “The defence turned the victim’s trauma responses into a weapon,” she said. “This tactic of using trauma against the victim, questioning clothing, lack of resistance, or why the victim did not leave the scene, is very common in court.” Jessie was also asked to recall precise details of the assault, including the number of times penetration occurred, how long it lasted, and how …

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia, an international animal rights group, staged a protest outside HKTVmall’s parent company in Tseung Kwan O on Friday, demanding the firm halt all animal experiments linked to its life sciences project. According to Hong Kong Technology Venture Company’s 2025 annual report, the firm has  conducted 38 animal experiments since 2022 to keep organs – including heads and limbs – for extended periods after removal, aiming to develop new technology for long-term human organ preservation. The organisation called on HKTV to adopt non-animal testing alternatives and urged the public to boycott its product over what it described as animal cruelty. Four protestors who dressed in bloodstained clothes and wore pig and lamb masks stayed in a “pool of blood” outside the headquarters of HKTVmall for about an hour from noon. Jackie Tang, the campaigner and social media coordinator of PETA Asia said such visuals expose the “bloody reality” of animal testing. He said HKTV has been experimenting with “zero transparency,” as there is no way to oversee how the experiments were conducted, nor any indication that ethical alternatives were considered or how many animals were killed. “They claim that there is no cruelty involved, saying the animals are killed after being put into amnesia and decapitated, but they are still sentient beings, they feel terror and pain,” he said. Louis Ng Wai-mei, an advocate who represented Animal Rights Education by Non-profit Making Veterinary Services Society, said medical techniques and drugs used today were undeniably developed through animal testing. But she argued that scientific progress does not necessarily rely on animal testing. “Scientific and technological progress comes from challenging outdated practices and striving for better,” Ng said. She hopes that animal testing will eventually be abolished. HKTV has invested over HK$44.5 million in this …

When she was just 15, Fung, who does not want to reveal her full name for fear of negative consequences, found herself having her first sexual encounter. It was neither planned nor reckless. Years later, she said she did not regret it, but she wished she had known more about her body, consent and the emotions she felt that night. “I don’t feel bad about my decision, but if I had known more about this behaviour, I wouldn’t have felt so confused,” Fung said. Fung’s story is not unique. As access to social media, pornographic content and online conversations about sex continue to rise, the city’s Gen Z population is learning about intimacy at a younger age in a world that they say is more confusing than ever. But they say sex education in public schools has not caught up. Fewer young people are having sex, according to the latest survey by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong in 2021. But among those who are, the average age has dropped to 14. In 1997, the Education Bureau published guidelines for schools on sex education, but left it up to the schools to design their own programmes. By following those guidelines, schools focused more on values and attitudes towards sexuality, while providing less information about practical knowledge, such as condom use and how to prevent HIV. Sex education in formal lessons often emphasises the physiological aspects, such as reproduction mechanics, which may overlook psychological and social topics, such as sexual consent and gender equality, according to a 2022 study by the Equal Opportunities Commission, a semi-governmental agency concerned with public social issues. “When condoms or the process of sexual intercourse were mentioned in class, the teacher just briefly glossed over them and moved on. I didn’t get any practical knowledge …

The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had their first evidential hearing this morning at City Gallery in Central.  The committee's lead barrister Victor Dawes said the fire was a consequence of multiple overlapping human errors. “All fire safety measures were unavailable at the day of the fire, due to human wrongdoings,” Dawes said.  Fire footage from the residents, passersby and media outlets were displayed at the hearing. Dawes said multiple CCTV footage from the buildings and the constructor indicate that cigarette butts are the fire’s main cause — engulfing the substandard combustible nets and bamboo scaffolding within 15 minutes. Evidence also showed failures in the fire alarms system, which affected the residents’ escape. Smoke was able to enter the buildings more easily since windows at the stairwells were replaced by wooden boards, for the convenience of construction workers. CCTV footage also showed residents were unable to put out the fire, as the hoses were not connected to any water tanks. Some audience cried during the hearing. Former Wang Tai House resident, 69-year-old Law, who lost a relative from the fire, said he wants the hearings to reconstruct what happened. “I think the government has to take responsibility. There are strict rules, but they were not executed with caution,” he said. Seven more hearings will be held on Mar. 20, 24, 26, 30, 31 and Apr. 1, 2. The hearing for the deadly fire on Nov. 26 — which took 168 lives — requires a pre-registration. Prioritised quotas are given to Wang Fuk Court residents, while members of the public and media are also welcomed. Registrations are now closed.

In a cramped public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin, Li Yuet-siu, 74, spends almost every hour of her day caring for her 89-year-old husband, who has been bedridden since he broke bones in both hips and legs in 2018. He can still stand and walk a few steps with a cane, but only as far as the toilet, clinging to furniture and walls for support. After the accident, Li said her husband was hospitalised and moved into two different government-funded care homes. But he repeatedly shouted and begged to go home, making it impossible for carers to help him.  Since he has moved home, every need – from getting out of bed to going to the bathroom – has rested on Li’s shoulders. “Every day, I help him eat, wash and use the toilet. He refuses to wear adult diapers, saying they’re too hot and uncomfortable, so I have to wake up at midnight when he needs to urinate,” Li said, adding that her husband sometimes gets up by himself but falls. “Lifting him hurts my back badly, but if I drop him, it’s worse... Once when he fell, I couldn’t lift him, so I called the ambulance service. The staff said moving him could dislocate bones or injure him further, but I had no choice. I had no training and no one to help,” she said. Hong Kong’s rapidly aging population is straining family caregivers, many of whom are elderly themselves and face chronic exhaustion, injuries and emotional turmoil without adequate support. An expert estimates there are around 180,000 elderly caregivers in Hong Kong. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the number of elderly persons aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double over a 25-year period, from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million in …