Hong Kong survivors push to close ‘consent loophole’ in reforms to sex crime laws

Hong Kong women's rights advocates and sexual assault survivors are urging authorities to close a loophole in proposed sex crime law reforms. The Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women and the survivor group We Are X stated on Wednesday that the defense of an "honest but mistaken belief in consent" could undermine the reforms. They argue that the government's updated, stricter definitions of consent should also apply to this existing defense. The groups emphasized that if defendants are required to ascertain consent, the law needs clear guidelines on what steps this entails, otherwise, the proposed safeguards may be ineffective.