Lawmakers are calling for the review and strengthening of child protection laws in Hong Kong, which were last updated in 1995. The proposal has been stalled for seven years, amid concerns over low conviction rates for serious cases of child abuse.

Hong Kong authorities have been urged to toughen penalties for child abuse as a proposal to review protection laws for minors, which were last updated in 1995, has remained stalled for seven years. A check by the South China Morning Post found that over more than 20 years, only one of 13 serious child abuse cases involving ill-treatment or neglect of a child or young person resulted in a jail term close to the maximum of 10 years. Lawmakers earlier this month called for increasing the 10-year...