CO129-197 - Governor Hennessy - 1882 [1-2] — Page 408

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OBJECTS AND REASONS.

Fr has been brought to the notice of Government, by the Chinese Protector- ate Department, that the existing law is not sufficient for the protection of females brought to the Colony by persons seeking to make a profit from them.

Such women are said trepiently to be purchased from persons in China, and deceived into the belief that they are to be brought to the Colony to be married, or to gain their livelihood in a reputable manner, and are either cajoled or fright- ened by the persons in whose charge they are taken on board the ship in China and landed here, to say that they come of their own free will and for reputable purposes.

When they have passed the examination of the officers of the Protectorate here, and are allowed to go on shore, they are said to be forced into brothels, where their carnings are taken by the keeper of the brothel, and they are in fact made slaves of

The operation of the only sections of the Penal Code applicable to the cause. Nos. 372 and 378, is confined to minors under the age of sixteen years, and it is represented that. putting aside the difficulty of proving that any person is under that age. it is necessary that the protection of the law should be extended to fernales beyond that age.

To is considered desirable, in a population such as ours, where, except in the case of the Malays, who us it were belong to the plue, the proportion of females to males is so very small, that every encouragement should be held out to the im- migration of females, but. at the same time, precautions should be taken that the fenimles brought into the Colony shall be protected against the grievous wrongs under which some of them are believed now to suffer.

It is, therefore, proposed to amend the Penal Code in this view, by introdue

ing two sections to be inserted after section 373.

373A, the first of these sections, provides a punishment.---

(a.) for persons bringing into the Colony any woman (this word, by soc- tion 10 of the Code. nugans a foule of any ago) with intent to sell or dispose of the woman, so that the importer, or any other person, may make a profit from her immoral way of living:

(b) for so bringing any woman knowing it to be likely that she will be sold or employed for immoral purposes, to the profit of any person other than the woman herself;

(e) for selling or buying any woman for immoral purposes.

Section 3733 provides a punishment for any person who, knowing that a woman has been sold, whether within or without the Colony, for immoral pur poses, or has been brought to the Colony for immoral purposes by deceitful means, abducts the woman for immoral purposes.

The word "abduct" is interpreted in section 862 of the Penal Code. Section 870 of the Code, as to buying and selling persons, is confined to slavery.

It is not proposed to interfere in any way with persons who come to the Colony of their own free will for the purpose above referred to, but it is proposed to protect helpless females from the oppression and wrong inflicted on thein by persons who, by fraudulent and deceitful means, induce the females to corao to the Colony, where they are forced to an immoral life for the profit of such porsous.

Au Ordinance to the same effect as that now proposed was passed in Hong- kong as Ordinance No. 2 of 1875.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S OFFICE.

Singapore, 14th January, 1882.

T. BRADDELL,

Attorney-General,

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