CO129-547-7 Marriage Amendment Ordinance 1934- Protection of Women and Girls Amendment Ordinance 1934 19-9-1933 - 4-7-1934 — Page 13

ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CHAMBERS,

Hong Kong, 29th June

.1934.

REPORT ON ORDINANCE No.

14

..of 1934.

[2

1.

I have examined the accompanying Ordinance. intituled an

Ordinance to amend the Women and Girls Protection

Ordinance, 1897, and am of opinion that it is one which

is not contrary to the Governor's instructions.

2. The effect of this Ordinance, which has been

enacted with the approval of the Secretary of State

conveyed in his despatch of the 24th March, 1934, is

to raise the age of consent in the case of certain

sexual offences in order to secure uniformity with

the law at Home and in other parts of the Empire.

3. By sections 2 and 3 the age of a girl below which

(even though she purports to consent) actual carnal

knowledge of her is a felony and attempted carnal

knowledge a misdemeanour, and at or above which up

to sixteen either offence is a misdemeanour, is raised

from twelve to thirteen.

Furthermore section 2 repeals the proviso con-

tained in section 5 of the principal Ordinance which

made reasonable belief that she was sixteen or over a

good defence to a charge of actual or attempted carnal

knowledge of a girl under sixteen, and extends the

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