While most Hong Kong children find sanctuary at home, Bobo* spent her primary and secondary school years constantly on high alert, always looking for a new place to hide in her flat.
“Every single day I had to figure out how to avoid that person, how to find another safe spot inside the flat,” said the young woman, who suffered repeated sexual abuse by a family member.
Another girl, Mui*, said nights and school holidays were the most terrifying times. She would often jolt awake with the realisation that the rest of the family was either asleep or out, leaving her alone with her stepfather.
In addition to sexually abusing her from the age of 13, Mui’s stepfather would scold and beat her, and at times even force her out of the home as punishment for disobedience.
“It felt like I had completely lost my freedom,” said the 25-year-old, who remained silent in her younger years for fear that speaking out might cost her and her mother their home.
Sexual abuse survivors such as Bobo and Mui are calling on Hong Kong to introduce a new offence of persistent child sexual abuse, which would address repeated abuse over a prolonged period. Their appeal comes as the Security Bureau prepares to launch a public consultation on reforming sexual offence laws that have remained largely unchanged since the 1950s.