Dear Department of Justice,
I am writing regarding the data provided through our access request on child sexual abuse data in Hong Kong.
I have noted public reports and official statistics that indicate a significant increase in the number of recorded cases of sexual offences against children during 2023, with the numbers decreasing in 2024. This makes 2023 a large outlier in comparison to other years.
In light of this, I would like to respectfully request any publicly available information the Department of Justice can provide regarding its prosecutorial response to this trend. I am specifically interested in any comments or information the Department can provide on this data pattern.
Our previous request with concerned data:
https://accessinfo.hk/request/doj_child_...
Yours faithfully,
Taura Edgar
https://www.talkhongkong.org/magnitude-o...
Thank you for your message. The content has been noted. We would reply to
you, where applicable and appropriate, as soon as possible. (The above is
generated by an auto-reply programme to acknowledge receipt of your
message. Please do not reply to this email.) 多謝閣下的電子郵件，內容備悉
。如有需要，我們會盡快作出回覆。(以上為電腦自動發出的回覆信息，請勿回覆此
電郵。)
Dear Sir/Madam,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
10 November 2025. Your application is now under processing. According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 30
November 2025. In the meantime, please contact me at 3902 8048 if you
have any enquiry.
Jo CHOW
for Director of Public Prosecutions
Dear Ms Edgar,
We refer to your application for access to information dated 10 November
2025, in which you requested ‘publicly available information the
Department of Justice (“DoJ”) can provide regarding its prosecutorial
response’ to the trend of child sexual abuse cases in 2023 and 2024, and
any comments or information the DoJ can provide on the data pattern.
As you would understand from the remarks in the statistics on various
sexual offences for 2023 and 2024 we previously provided in response to
your request made in June 2025, this Department does not maintain
statistics by age of victim or keep statistics on cases prosecuted by
court prosecutors attached to magistrates’ courts. In this regard, we
have nothing further to supplement in relation to your present request.
Kind regards,
Betty Fu
Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions
(Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) (Acting)
From: ODPP/DOJ
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2025 11:23 AM
To: [1][FOI #1552 email]
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - 2023 child sexual abuse
stats
Dear Sir/Madam,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
10 November 2025. Your application is now under processing. According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 30
November 2025. In the meantime, please contact me at 3902 8048 if you
have any enquiry.
Jo CHOW
for Director of Public Prosecutions
Dear Ms Fu /ODPP/DOJ,
Thanks for your reply. Maybe I can help clarify our request. Of prosecutions for offences that clearly involve children (e.g. Intercourse with a Girl under 16, homosexual buggery with or by a man under 16) we can see that in most years there are ~40 (dropping for COVID in 2020 and 2021 but about 20 cases). However, in 2023 there is are 142 such cases. This seems like more than a recovery for COVID. 2024 is back down to 56.
Is there any info we can use to describe that change? Was there a change in procedure? Was there more capacity in the courts to process these cases? Any insights you can offer would be helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Taura Edgar
Thank you for your message. The content has been noted. We would reply
to you, where applicable and appropriate, as soon as possible. (The above
is generated by an auto-reply programme to acknowledge receipt of your
message. Please do not reply to this email.)
多謝閣下的電子郵件，內容備悉。如有需要，我們會盡快作出回覆。(以上為電腦自
動發出的回覆信息，請勿回覆此電郵。)
Dear Ms Edgar,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
24 November 2025. Your application is now under processing. According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 14
December 2025. In the meantime, please contact me at 3902 8048 if you
have any enquiry.
Jo CHOW
for Director of Public Prosecutions
Dear Ms Edgar,
We refer to your application for access to information dated 24 November
2025 in which you focused on the prosecution of ‘offences that clearly
involve children’.
As explained in our previous reply dated 24 November 2025 and as you would
understand from the remarks in the statistics we previously provided in
response to your requests made in past years, the statistics provided do
not include those cases prosecuted by court prosecutors attached to
magistrates’ courts. In this regard, we are unable to provide further
assistance in relation to your present request.
Kind regards,
Betty Fu
Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions
(Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions) (Acting)
From: ODPP/DOJ
Sent: Wednesday, December 3, 2025 10:12 AM
To: [1][FOI #1552 email]
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - 2023 child sexual abuse
stats
Dear Ms Edgar,
Our department has received your application for access to information on
24 November 2025. Your application is now under processing. According to
paragraph 1.16 of the Code on Access to Information, our department will
inform you of the latest progress of the case separately on or before 14
December 2025. In the meantime, please contact me at 3902 8048 if you
have any enquiry.
Jo CHOW
for Director of Public Prosecutions