Recent online reports and interviews with RFA Mandarin and The Reporter magazine have revealed accounts of physical and sexual abuse suffered by young political activists who were jailed under a crackdown on public dissent in juvenile offender facilities in Hong Kong.
While reports of abuse and sexual assault have emerged in recent years, not many have been confirmed or fully investigated. However, on Jan. 19, a Correctional Services officer and five young inmates at the Pik Uk Correctional Institution were remanded in custody for causing serious bodily harm to an 18-year-old inmate, including rectal perforations with a wooden implement.
Another young activist spoke out about an unreported incident at the same juvenile facility involving rape and abuse, further highlighting the disturbing conditions inside these institutions.
The growing youth prison population in Hong Kong, particularly since the pro-democracy movement of 2014, has raised concerns about the treatment of young inmates in these facilities. Reports indicate that abuse and mistreatment are rampant, with guards and other inmates subjecting detainees to various forms of violence.
According to former inmates and activists, attempts to report or investigate such abuse are often met with stonewalling by prison guards, who intimidate and silence those who speak out.
The harsh realities of juvenile detention centers in Hong Kong, where systemic abuse and violence go unchecked, underscore the urgent need for reforms to protect the rights and well-being of young inmates.