655813-1890-Bill-Protection-of-Women-and-Girls — Page 5

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 21ST JUNE, 1890.

19. In any suit or action which may hereafter be entered for the recovery of any sum due on any promise or agreement which before the 13th April, 1887 (being the date of Ordi- nance No. 9 of 1887) has been entered into before the Registrar General with respect to the custody, maintenance or giving in marriage of any female child, it shall not be necessary for the plaintiff in such suit or action to allege or to prove that any consideration was given for the said promise or agreement, and it shall not be competent for the said defendant to allege in defence that the Registrar General had no authority or power to require such promise or agreement from him, or that no consideration was given for the same.

20. This part of the Ordinance shall only continue in operation for a period of two years or such further period or periods as may from time to time be determined by resolution of the Legislative Council.

PART III.

Registration and Regulation of Brothels.

21. (1.) No brothel shall be kept nor shall any place be used as a brothel unless the same shall be registered under this Ordinance in the manner prescribed.

(2.) The keeper of a brothel shall be the person prima- rily responsible for registering such brothel, but if no such registration has been made by him, the owner of such brothel shall be also responsible for the registration, and in default of such registration both the owner and keeper shall be liable on conviction by a Magistrate to imprison- ment with or without hard labour for a term not exceed- ing six months or to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars or to both.

(3.) A brothel which is duly registered under this Ordi- nance shall not be deemed a public nuisance unless the same be so conducted as to occasion an actual nuisance but nothing hercin contained shall deprive any person of any civil remedy which he would otherwise be entitled to in respect of any such brothel.

(4.) The Governor may from time to time by notification in the Government Gazette prescribe certain limits within which all brothels shall be unlawful and no brothels shall be allowed to be registered within such limits.

(5.) For the purposes of this section and of section 33 the term brothel does not include a brothel which is used or occupied exclusively by women who are not Asiatic.

PART IV.

General Provisions.

22. The Governor may appoint such Officers as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Ordinance and may make rules for the conduct of their duties.

23. (1.) The Registrar General or any Officer appointed under this Ordinance and specially authorised for that purpose in writing by the Registrar General shall have power without warrant to search any ship, boat, house, building or other place where he has reasonable cause to suspect that there is any woman or girl who is or may be liable to be dealt with under the provisions of Part II of this Ordinance and may remove any such woman or girl to the Asylum to be there detained until her case be enquired into.

(2.) The Registrar General or any Officer appointed under this Ordinance and authorised for that purpose in writing by the Registrar General shall have power to enter at all times into any registered brothel and the Registrar General and any Officer so authorised as aforesaid shall have power to enter at all times into and upon any house, building, junk, boat or other place reasonably suspected of being a brothel.

24. The Registrar General shall have full power by notice in writing under his hand to sunnion before him any person whom he may have reason to believe can give any information respecting any woman or girl mentioned in Part II of this Ordinance and respecting the treatment of such woman or girl, or respecting any inmate of a brothel, and any person who upon service of such notice shall not appear at the time and place therein mentioned or who shall

Recovery of

sums due on promise or agreenient already

entered into. (Ibid, ■ 26.)

Operation of Part II.

Registration of brothels. (Ibid, s. 27.)

Responsibility of kooper.

When brothel to be deemed a pablic nuisance.

Limits within which brothels

may be kept. (Ord. 19 of 1889, s. 2.)

For certain purposes brothel only

to include 'Asiatic' brothale.

Power for

Governor to appoint utticers. (Ibid, s. 55.)

Powers of Registrar General, &c.

to Fearch without

warrant ships,

houses, boni,

&c.

Ibid, s, 46.)

Power of Registrar General to enter Regis- tered brothels. (See Zhirt, ». 38,)

Power of Registrar General to

persons who he thinks capable of giving inform ation respect- ing women or girls, (Sce Ibid, ss. 15 & 39.)

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