memorandum to the special select committee on penal code
memorandum to the special select committee on penal code
memorandum to the special select committee on penal code
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China<br />
The PRC law provides: It is a crime “<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> rape women with force, threat or o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r means.” 24<br />
The law has never had an explicit excepti<strong>on</strong> for marriage, nor does it provide an<br />
explanati<strong>on</strong> of what c<strong>on</strong>stitutes rape in marriage. Some Chinese legal scholars believe that<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rape laws do not shield husbands from prosecuti<strong>on</strong>s. 25 In practice, however, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> record<br />
is much more complicated.<br />
H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g<br />
In 2000, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g Special Administrative Regi<strong>on</strong> (SAR) government began public<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r and how <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> marital rape excepti<strong>on</strong> embedded in its Britishderived<br />
laws should be eliminated. 26 The relevant porti<strong>on</strong> of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> law, Secti<strong>on</strong> 118(3) of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Crimes Ordinance, reads:<br />
A man commits rape if (a) he has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman who<br />
at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> time of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intercourse does not c<strong>on</strong>sent <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> it; and (b) at that time he knows<br />
that she does not c<strong>on</strong>sent <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> intercourse or he is reckless as <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> whe<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r she<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sents <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> it.<br />
The term “unlawful sexual intercourse” was traditi<strong>on</strong>ally interpreted according <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> British<br />
law, thus incorporating <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Hale doctrine that rape cannot occur within a marriage.<br />
On 4 July 2002, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g Legislative Council amended <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rape laws by enacting<br />
two provisi<strong>on</strong>s that expand <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> meaning of “unlawful sexual intercourse” <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> include<br />
marital intercourse:<br />
117(1B) For <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> avoidance of doubt, it is declared that for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> purposes of<br />
secti<strong>on</strong>s 118, 119, 120, and 121 and without affecting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> generality of any<br />
o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r provisi<strong>on</strong>s of this Part, ‘unlawful sexual intercourse’ does not exclude<br />
sexual intercourse that a man has with his wife.<br />
118(3A) For <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> avoidance of doubt, and without limiting <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> generality of<br />
any o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r secti<strong>on</strong>, it is declared that in subsecti<strong>on</strong> (3)(a), ‘unlawful sexual<br />
intercourse’ includes sexual intercourse between a husband and his wife.<br />
It is unclear <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> extent <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> which <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se provisi<strong>on</strong>s have been used in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g<br />
criminal justice system.<br />
Ind<strong>on</strong>esia<br />
Ind<strong>on</strong>esia is <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> latest nati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> adopt a domestic violence bill, which includes a provisi<strong>on</strong><br />
that could be interpreted <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> criminalise marital rape. This provisi<strong>on</strong> states that <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>penal</strong>ty<br />
24 Li Dun, “A Discussi<strong>on</strong> Caused by Marital Rape”, Women of China website,<br />
http://www.womenofchina.com.cn/WOC/ShowArticle2.aspID=1237&ArticlePage=2&BigClassId=7<br />
25 Wang Ying (2004), “More and more women saying no <str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g> abusers”, China Daily, 3 March,<br />
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-03/03/c<strong>on</strong>tent_311452.htm.<br />
26 Chiu Man-chung (2004), “C<strong>on</strong>textualising <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Rhe<str<strong>on</strong>g>to</str<strong>on</strong>g>ric of Sexual Violence in H<strong>on</strong>g K<strong>on</strong>g”, China: An<br />
Internati<strong>on</strong>al Journal2(1), 83-107.<br />
33