683461-1880-Domestic-Servitude-in-Hongkong- — Page 27

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, ITH FEBRUARY, 1880. morals, seeing also a system of kidnapping of fc-. males going on, intended for exportation for pur-

poses of prostitution, to the total obscuration of the oral sense, could not bear looking on quietly al in personal interview with Ilis Excellency Governor begged that some energetic measu-

be devised for the repression of this evil. At at time Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY considered it was almost impossible to move a finger to repress y prostitution, because it was impossible to deal

with it without coming in collision with the li- herty of the individual guaranteed by the English

viz.:- Law, and that only one course was left open,

to pass an Ordinance comprehending in its appli- cation every thing of that sort whereby the evil might gradually be abated. He also asked Your Petitioners what they thought of it, and all replied it would be an excellent measure. Accordingly Urlinance No. 2 of 1875 was passed. Your Pe. titioners therefore considered that, according to Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY's intention at the time, this Olinance referred simply to kidnapping and to forcible detention and seduction of women and girls, ns also to the purchase of females for pur- poses of prostitution, but to nothing else. Strange to say, Sections VII and VIII allow a construc-

• tion and have a range of application so extensive that they can be made to extend to the buying of sons for adoption and to the buying of girls for domestic servitude, which would assume ac- This is in the rondingly a criminal character.

opinion of Your Petitioners inexplicable, and they

ley, therefore, to suggest the advisability of deal-

ing with the matter by a slight alteration (in the ording of those sections) so as to yield to the

feelings of the people.

9. The Office of the Registrar General was

charged with the superintendence of prostitutes an I the licensing of brothels and similar affairs.

lut from 80 to 90 per cent. of all these prostitu-

in Hongkong were brought into these brothels by purchase, as is well known to everybody.

li buying and selling is a matter of a criminal character, the proper thing would be, first of all;

w abolish this evil (connected with the brothels). But how comes it that since the first establish- ment of the Colony down to the present day the

ame old practice prevails in these licensed brothels, and has never been forbidden or abo- Eshed? It will be seen from this that successive Registrar Generals, who were thoroughly ac- quainted with Chinese social customs, abstained Cam such grievous measures (as interference with purchase of children for adoption or domes- tie servitude).

10. When the law forbids the' purchase of lives, the reason certainly is that it is to be and they might be reared in contempt and treated with barbarity. Such prohibition is, there- fre, a matter of benevolence and compassion. Sow as to bringing up girls for domestic servi

le, of course if one looks at the fact that these girls receive no wages, there is indeed à difference fam ordinary servitude. But as one has to

理以順輿情

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至買嗣買婢皆有應得之罪在董等之心甚有所不解也可否於此聲爲變通辦 姦婦女及買爲娼而不意賅例之第七第八欸竟組織包涵如此之廣推而 是有一千八百七十五年第二條例則忖思 堅督當時之意乃指誘拐强留串 無已則立一例凡類此者亦包括在内自可漸漸戢除爾等以爲何如衆日善於 譭法嚴禁斯哱 堅督以爲懲辦奸淫頗難著手因於英國自主之例窒碍難行 熾大傷風俗又因惕誘婦女出洋娼種種味耳目不忍是以面禀 堅督求

罪則應先將此欸革除何以開港至今亦 此事無人不知若謂買與賣皆有應得之 事凡港中缔其中係買來十居八九 九華民政務司衙門乃兼理妓女詿册等

奴者實恐賤音而虐

十例禁不准買人爲

也今之蕃婢視其不

稔知華人風俗不爲擾民之政也 仍舊而不禁革者此可見歷任 官憲

異然幼撫恤長嫁

給傭資一節雖與

遇之所以愛惜人類

臺前求歌一

八股