Letters | Hong Kong must send child abusers the right message by imposing tougher penalties

Readers discuss the three-month jail sentence given in a case where a child died, political cartoons in a democratic society, the gap in animal protection in mainland China, and the outrage over wild boar kills in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 24 May 2023

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I was saddened to read the media reports about the 14-month-old girl who died after her parents performed a “ritual exorcism” in a Kam Tin village house in June last year.

The full facts were disclosed when the criminal case was heard recently at the Fanling Magistrates’ Court. The court heard that firefighters had to be called to break in, only to discover the girl in a bedroom buried under a pile of diapers, having been dead for some time.

I am shocked that the couple received a sentence of only three months in jail.

Any person who ill-treats or neglects a child under their care is subject to a maximum imprisonment of 10 years on indictment. However, despite the overwhelming evidence, this couple were not indicted before the District Court. Instead, they were put before a magistrate who can in general impose a maximum sentence of only two years.

The primary duty of parents is to take care of their children, ensuring their safety, health and well-being. Whatever the father’s psychiatric problems and misguided religious beliefs in this case, they are no excuse.

An appropriate message must be sent that all children have the right to proper medical care. I hope the Department of Justice could look into its guidelines and procedures and consider whether similar cases should be transferred to the higher courts in future.

This tragic case highlights the urgent need to review Hong Kong’s child protection laws, which have been criticised as outdated and falling far behind those in many developed countries and regions. The reforms proposed by the Law Reform Commission’s Causing or Allowing the Death of a Child or Vulnerable Adult Sub-committee in September 2021 should be enacted at the soonest opportunity to protect children and vulnerable adults who cannot speak for themselves.

Billy Wong, executive secretary, Hong Kong Committee on Children’s Rights

Officials doing their job should not fear political cartoons

Cartoons would appear to be anathema to the government in Hong Kong. Controversial artist Zunzi was abruptly dropped by Ming Pao earlier this month, after four decades of contributing to the newspaper.

Does Hong Kong really enjoy free speech and press freedom as guaranteed in the Basic Law? While others in the world see political cartoons as lighthearted comments on the news, the Hong Kong government appears to think otherwise.

Freedom of speech and press freedom are vital in a democratic society. It is true that political cartoons are a powerful form of expression. They represent the voices of people who fight for policy change and who stand up for justice, fairness and better governance.

The fundamental role of a political cartoonist is to hold the government to account. Thus a political cartoonist will criticise the government for its failures.

Officials in power are usually antipathetic to political cartoons that make them look foolish and incompetent, hurting their public image. But what does a government have to fear if it is doing a great job for its people?

The protection by the Basic Law of freedom of speech and press freedom would no longer be a guarantee if it becomes conditional.

Pages Ng, Tuen Mun

Mainland China must close gap in animal protection

I am deeply concerned about the recent alarming incidents of animal abuse in mainland China, particularly the case of an Anhui-based food vlogger Xu Zhihui, who filmed himself torturing cats and posted the videos online.

These acts of violence, combined with the distribution of gruesome videos and the encouragement to impressionable youth to imitate such behaviour, have sparked widespread outrage. Immediate action must be taken to safeguard the well-being of both animals and our communities.

The Anhui cat cruelty case underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive animal protection laws in mainland China, mirroring those implemented in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the United States. These jurisdictions have enacted legislation that explicitly criminalises animal abuse and cruelty, providing vital protection for animal rights and promoting social harmony.

Hong Kong’s well-established commitment to civilised values and its respect for the rule of law make it an ideal platform to advocate for animal rights. We should rally public opinion, raise awareness and push the mainland authorities to address this issue.

Jiayao Wang, Kowloon

If wild boar cull is cruel, what about meat eating?

I refer to your report, “Killing wild boars is ‘cruel and ineffective’” (May 22).

Roni Wong of the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group argued that killing wild boars was not working as the nuisance reports had not significantly decreased. The government, however, could easily counter-argue that had those wild boars not been euthanised, the number of nuisance reports would have increased. Mr Wong’s argument is neither here nor there.

The government has killed on average one wild boar a day so far this year and according to Mr Wong, such killings are cruel and ridiculous. I pose the following question to Mr Wong: how many pigs are killed each day for pork consumption?

These issues need to be examined in perspective.

Francis Lo, North Point