CO129-539-4 Mui Tsai system 28-6-1932 - 28-11-1932 — Page 103

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

QUITOZI.

128

In the Hong kong law a buitsal is defined as a

female domestic servant for whom the employer has

mado noney payment. Thus the term does not include

a genuine "adopted daughter". It la recognised

that the practice of adop ion when money is paid to

parents or guardians, presents a very difficult

problem and is in any ways open to serious „buses,

articularly with regard to the adoption of girl

children. The long Long Goverment has attempted

to deal with possible abuses by two laws passed in

1929. These pluce the onus on the adopter of showing

that it is a ouse of genuine adoption, and mal

the Secretary for Chinese affairs the legal guardian

minors

of all adoptod T The Governor is

considering whether further measures are necessary,

but he sees objection to the proposal that ull

'adopted daughters should be registered. In tho

first place he assured us in February, 1931, that,

so far, there had boon nothing to show that the fictier

of adoption was being used to evade responsibilities.

imposed by the laws relatin to uitsai. It is

ulso possible that to legalise adoption on the line

of the legislation in this countr would, in Hong Kong

han or the Decretary for Chinese affairs in the

exoroise of the very vide powers conferred on him AS

the legal guardian of all adopted girls. Me cold

not retain that status if adoption of girls were

legalbied

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