Chances should be given to youngsters who have taken legal responsibility for their actions during social unrest, said former Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie.
“Youths are the pillars of our future society,” Leung said in a video produced by Project Change, a non-governmental organization established in 2020 to provide support to youths arrested during the Hong Kong protests in 2019.
“For those who were misled or acted without fully considering the consequences, we must offer them a chance to start anew once they have learned from their mistakes and accepted their legal responsibilities,” she said.
Leung said the central government values young people, viewing them as vital to the future development of society.
“The chief executive of the HKSAR has also affirmed that individuals who have committed crimes should be given an opportunity for rehabilitation,” she added.
Leung argued that mere punishment will not alter their perspectives on society and noted the importance of education in helping young people recognize their wrongdoings.
“If they’ve already received such education, they should be allowed to reintegrate into society,” she said, warning that failing to do so may lead them to remain defiant, resentful and unable to contribute positively.
In a separate video released by the NGO, businessman Irons Sze Wing-wai expressed hope that the community would support and accept these young individuals who have erred.
“Many of these young people are university students with professional aspirations… We often hear that our society is lacking in manpower and talent, and this group can reintegrate into the community and rejoin the workforce,” Sze said.
He also acknowledged the political divisions that have persisted since the Occupy Central movement in 2014 through the 2019 social unrest, but noted that society has stabilized following the implementation of the national security law in 2020.
The Standard
Young offenders ‘should be given another chance’