Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest calls for young offenders to get ‘second chance’

Security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung has repeatedly stated that there is no time limit for charging the about 7,000 protesters arrested during the 2019 social unrest.

Photo: Robert Ng The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has urged the government to offer young offenders a “second chance to start anew” and to introduce legal provisions to help those with minor criminal records pursue their careers.

In his Easter message, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan encouraged authorities to reduce the use of key performance indicators (KPIs) so that educators could have more time and space to better support students, amid persistently high youth suicide rates. “I call on our government and civic leaders to give our young people who have been in trouble with the law a second chance to start anew,” he said. “This will allow them to have the much-needed hope and faith in our society.” Without directly referring to the 2019 protests, Chow said prolonged investigations over the past couple of years had remained a threat to young people. “This, in turn, has taken its toll on their mental health,” Chow noted.

He added that even minor criminal records were crippling barriers for young people’s career aspirations. “Can we not identify some legal provisions to help those whose crimes are minor and who have served their sentences to continue pursuing their careers?” he said.

Cardinal Stephen Chow has also said it will be more helpful if the children are not comparing their lives with others, an approach that needs to start with parents.

Photo: Edmond So Security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung has repeatedly stated that there is no time limit for charging the about 7,000 protesters arrested during the 2019 social unrest.

Tang earlier revealed that police had launched a special rehabilitation programme that aimed to help young people who had been arrested but not prosecuted.

Chow on Thursday also highlighted the high suicide rate among young people, saying parents and schools should not allow children to be trapped in a “life-sapping and blindingly competitive culture”.

He called on the government to reduce the emphasis on KPIs, noting continuing demands for value-addedness would be exhausting and distracting for educators. “There are important values that are not emphasised with KPIs but are crucial for the healthy development of our young people,” Chow said. “For example, their psycho-spiritual well-being and conviction in their ability to shape their own desirable future.”

原文链接: 南华早报