Sexual Offences Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2026 to be gazetted on Friday
The Government will publish the Sexual Offences Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2026 (the Bill) in the Gazette on Friday (November 13).
A spokesperson for the Security Bureau today (November 11) said, "The Bill aims to achieve two policy objectives, namely, strengthening protection for victims of sexual offences, and modernising the laws on sexual offences in Hong Kong to keep pace with the times.
The Security Bureau. Photo source: reference image
"At present, many of the sexual offences in Hong Kong are based on similar provisions in the laws of England enacted in 1956. Over the years, social perceptions related to sexual offences have been evolving. We also notice that there are inadequacies in the existing sexual offence provisions. For instance, some offences are gender-specific, resulting in a narrow scope; some provisions carry distinctions based on sexual orientation; some offences lack consistency on treatments across genders; the provisions and penalties of some sexual offences are not fully commensurate with the gravity of relevant acts; and some terminology used in some provisions is outdated. The Government considers it necessary to review and improve the laws on sexual offences in Hong Kong, so as to address the inadequacies of the current provisions and respond to changes in social perceptions related to sexual offences."
The spokesperson said, "The range of legislative amendment proposals is based on the coverage and recommendations of the Law Reform Commission in its review of relevant legislation, and on the study of developments in relevant legislation in other major common law jurisdictions (including Australia, Canada, England and Wales, New Zealand, Scotland and Singapore), covering different areas including non-consensual sexual offences, sexual offences involving children and persons with mental impairment, miscellaneous sexual offences, and other related amendments proposed to strengthen protection for victims of sexual offences.
Photo source: online image
"We consulted the Panel on Security of the Legislative Council (LegCo) on July 7 on the Government's legislative amendment proposal, and received its full support. We also conducted a one-month public consultation exercise from July 7 to August 5, with a total of 6228 written submissions received. Among them, 99.3 per cent (6182 written submissions) showed support and made positive comments, fully reflecting that the legislative amendment proposal has gained wide support from the community."
The spokesperson added, "Our legislative amendment proposal has also incorporated suggestions received by the Government during the public consultation exercise, including the creation of a new offence to deal with perpetrators' criminal acts of prolonged and repeated sexual abuse against children. We will also criminalise the cybercrime of 'cyberflashing' through the refinement of provisions."
The spokesperson emphasised, "We hope to improve the laws on sexual offences in Hong Kong, the earlier the better, to strengthen protection for victims of sexual offences while ensuring that the laws on sexual offences can keep pace with the times."
The Central Government Offices. Photo source: reference image
The Government will introduce the Bill into the LegCo on November 25 for First Reading and Second Reading, with the target of completing the legislative exercise within the current term of Government.
