WOMEN AND GIRLS PROTECTION (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

7.38 p.m.

The Minister for Labour and Law (Mr K. M. Byrne): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill seeks to deal with the immediate problem that has arisen following on the Government's campaign to enforce the provisions of the Hotels Ordinance, 1955, by taking action to cancel the certificate of registration of hotels which are conducted in an improper manner.

Mr Speaker, Sir, as the law stands at present, it is possible for the hotel keeper to flout the law after the cancellation of the certificate of registration of the hotel, by letting out the individual rooms to prostitutes. If such rooms are then used for the purposes of prostitution, no action can be taken against the hotel keeper under the present law. The Bill seeks to change the law by providing that a tenant, occupier or person in charge of any premises who lets the premises or any part thereof shall, notwithstanding such letting, be guilty of an offence if the premises or any part thereof are or is used as a brothel, unless he proves that he has no knowledge that the premises or such part thereof are or is used as a brothel.

Where premises are used as a brothel, the Bill provides that the tenant, occupier or person in charge of the premises shall be guilty of an offence, unless he proves that he has no knowledge of the use of the premises as a brothel. The owners or agents of the owners of premises are only liable if it is shown that they have knowledge of the use of the premises as a brothel.

The definition of "brothel" has been amended so as to include not only a house or place but any portion of any house or place, and also to make it unnecessary to prove contemporaneous use of the premises for the purposes of prostitution by two women or girls. A definition of "prostitution" has also been added.

As I said earlier, this Bill seeks to make amendments which are considered to be immediately necessary to the Women and Girls' Protection Ordinance. The whole law relating to the protection of women and girls is at present being reviewed as part of the general legislation for the protection of the rights of women. A Bill has already been drafted, and I hope to introduce the Bill soon. In the meantime, it is necessary to take these immediate steps to strengthen the law.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

7.41 p.m.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng (Mountbatten): Sir, I beg to move that the words -

Mr Speaker: Order. If the hon. Member is not speaking on the principle of the Bill, I think she ought to wait until we reach the Committee stage for her amendment.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill.-[Mr Byrne].

Bill considered in Committee.

7.42 p.m.

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 2-

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

In page 1, line 14, after "women", to insert "or girls".

Section 2, Sir, defines the meaning of a brothel as a "house, room or place or a portion of any house, room or place, which is occupied or used by any two or more women whether at the same time or at different times for the purpose of prostitution".

The Chairman: Does the Minister accept the amendment?

Mr Byrne: Yes, Sir.

The Chairman: If the Minister indicates that he accepts the amendment, I do not know whether the hon. Member wishes to speak any further.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: If he accepts it -

The Chairman: As I have just said, if the Minister indicates that he accepts the amendment, does the hon. Member wish to speak? She may do so, of course. I cannot stop her.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: I wish to speak.

The Chairman: The hon. Member wishes to speak. By all means. She is probably not as tired as the Speaker!

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: I just want to point out one thing. Throughout the principal Ordinance, there is not even one instance where the word "women" is used without the word "girls", and the anomaly in this section might lead to misunderstanding and exploitation by unscrupulous racketeers.

7.45 p.m.

What will strengthen their argument that a place is not a brothel if it is used by women under 18 is that there are sections where the word "girls" is used without the word "women". In these instances, it was intended to indicate that the section refers to females under 18. That is why I have thought it is very important that I should put the amendment in. I am glad the Minister has accepted the amendment.

Mr Byrne: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am indeed most grateful to the Member for Mountbatten for having pointed out the difference between "women and girls" and "girls and women". She has, by her great interest in the definition of a "brothel", saved the Hon, the Chief Justice from the pleasant or the unpleasant duty (depending on how he looks at these things!) of determining whether a "woman" is a "girl" or a "girl" is a "woman" for the purposes of this Ordinance. If I had that pleasant duty to discharge, Mr Speaker, Sir, I can assure the House that I would have no difficulty in placing the Member for Mountbatten amongst the "women" and not amongst the "girls"!

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 2, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 3 and 4 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported with an amendment; read the Third time and passed.