'I would definitely try to rape a girl if I would not be put in prison for it.' This quote from a junior secondary student was used by a sex therapist to illustrate what she termed shocking attitudes to sex among some youngsters. In another case, several Form One pupils participated in a 'masturbation competition' in school and invited classmates to be spectators, charging each HK$5, Atty Ching Tsui-wan said. Ms Ching, director of sex and family therapy at the Touch Counselling Centre, said that in some cases, the youngsters did not know they had breached the law. 'Sometimes they just act because of their curiosity and interest in the opposite sex,' she said, noting that constant exposure to sexual messages around the city could also be a factor. Angela Ng Wing-ying, vice-chairwoman of the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation, agreed that internet pornography could become a 'facilitator' of sex crimes, especially for teenagers who had not developed their sense of morality. 'Pornographic images and videos are now easily accessible and addictive, while the viewers can stay anonymous behind the screens,' Dr Ng said, noting that she had seen a boy of nine addicted to porn. In other cases, sexual abuse occurred between young lovers who had drifted into intimacy, she said. 'In some cases the girls are not willing to be touched by their boyfriends but they do not know how to speak out and say no. They may also have the wrong concept that getting into a relationship is equivalent to having sex.'
