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of children under the age of 15 is banned in both industrial and non-
industrial undertakings.
3.10 There are no legal obstacles to the development of effective
trade unions, though in the absence of a tradition of labour union-
isation, only a minority of workers belong to unions and those that
exist tend to be small and relatively ineffective.
SECTION 4: TOPICAL ISSUES (INTERNAL)
CORRUPTION
4.1 Public attention focussed on the problem of corruption in 1973
following the arrest and subsequent conviction on corruption charges
of a senior expatriate police officer. This led to the establishment
of the Independent Commission Against Corrpution (ICAC) in February 1974.
The Commission, which is answerable to the Governor, investigates
complaints of corruption, gives advice on how to prevent it, and enlists
community support for the anti-corruption drive. By the middle of 1977,
ICAC had succeeded in breaking up the major corruption syndicates in
Hong Kong. However, in October and November 1977, a feeling of perse-
cution, nurtured by a corrupt minority, developed in the Royal Hong Kong
Police Force. The consequent pressure led to a limited amnesty and, as was hoped, this de-fused the situation. Subsequently a Home Office team,
led by an Inspector of Constabulary, was invited by the Governor to
examine the problems in the RHKPF over management and morale. A number
of their recommendations are now being implemented. In 1980 there were
in all 333 prosecutions for corruption and related offences.
DEATH PENALTY
4.2 The death penalty still exists in Hong Kong law and public opinion
there is strongly in favour of its being applied. However, although
convictions on capital charges occur regularly, no death sentence has
been carried out since 1966. This situation causes some resentment in
Hong Kong on the grounds that local opinion has apparently been over-
ruled. An announcement by the Governor in late 1975 that he would impose
life sentences, save in exceptional circumstances, when commuting the
death penalty, appears to have taken some of the sting out of this issue
but it remains a sensitive one.
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