2014.5.23 The Standard(英文虎報) – Plea to give sex offenders second chance

A non-government organization has called for new thinking on dealing with sex offenders, as sending them to prison alone will not curb their evil desires.

Caritas made the appeal following an ongoing project expected to be completed in March next year, and which provides counseling to help ex-offenders integrate into society rather than exclude them as outcasts.

The project, which has dealt with 372 cases since it was launched in 2008, aims to assist ex-offenders to fight against carnal desires, recognize self-values and embrace social life.

The spokesman said social workers do not evaluate these people during the process but separate them from the problem by pointing out other possibilities.

To combine practice and research, Caritas cooperates with the Centre for Youth Research and Practice at the Hong Kong Baptist University. It conducted in-depth interviews with five ex-offenders who used their service since 2011.

Angela Tsun On-kee, director of the Centre for Youth Research and Practice, said they found that these people experienced respect and understanding through their conversation with social workers and were willing to accept their responsibility and admit their mistakes.

“They have been trying to use different ways to suppress the desire and to rekindle better expectations of life,” Tsun said.

A total of 1,463 cases of sexual harassment and 105 cases of rape were reported in 2013. QI LUO