Lawmaker Ma Io Fong wants law changes to protect vulnerable against sex crimes

Lawmaker Ma Io Fong

Lawmaker Ma Io Fong wants to amend local laws, establishing harsher penalties for those who engage in sexual harassment or abuse of children or other vulnerable people, he said on Tuesday during the period before the agenda of the Legislative Assembly (AL) session.

Ma resolved to address the topic after the recent publication of the statistics on crime and law enforcement in 2022, where crimes related to the abuse of children were highlighted.

“According to the Macau Children’s Database, 27 cases were registered, the highest number in the last 20 years, (since these records began), and almost threefold the average [for the same period],” he said, adding that there was also a significant increase in the percentage of voluntary sexual intercourse between underage people. For Ma, this “reflects the poor awareness of self-protection of minors, therefore, I call on society to pay more attention to the sexual education of minors.”

Ma did not explain how he expects laws to be amended in relation to penalties for the sexual abuse of children, or how this will contribute to sex education for the underage, but he said that the situation shows an urgent need to reinforce the awareness of minors in terms of sexuality and self-protection.

Ma called for the introduction of a ban on suspended sentences and an increase to the minimum ceiling of the penal framework. He also wants to remove the substitution of any prison sentences for fines.

These measures, he said, will fulfill the goal of creating a “child-friendly city.”