近代香港早期的性病问题与立法(1841-1867)

The Problem of Venereal Diseases and Its Legislation in Early Modern Hong Kong

由于近代香港早期人口性别比例严重失衡,以及英国驻军与外国海员的频繁流动,到19世纪50年代,因卖淫嫖娼盛行而造成的性病问题开始引起各界关注。面对军队中持续攀升的性病发病率,驻港英军与港英政府意识到必须采取措施控制性病的继续蔓延,并加强对非法卖淫活动的监管。在此背景下,港英政府于1857年颁布《控制性病传播条例》,其主要措施包括妓院登记与发牌、妓女登记与强制医学检查、染病妓女留医隔离与治疗,以及对向嫖客传播性病的妓女实施惩罚。究其实质,近代香港早期的性病立法具有极其鲜明的殖民主义、种族主义与性别主义特征。同时,这一立法也强有力地挑战了学术界有关港英政府长期奉行自由放任、不干预与间接统治政策的主流论述。

Due to the serious imbalance of sex ratio in early modern Hong Kong,as well as the frequent movement of British garrison and foreign seamen,by the 1850s,the problem of venereal diseases caused by the prevalence of prostitution began to attract public attention.Faced with the rising incidence of venereal diseases in the armed forces,British troops stationed in Hong Kong and British Hong Kong government realized that measures must be taken to control the continued spread of venereal diseases and strengthen the supervision of illegal prostitution.Against this background,the British Hong Kong government promulgated An Ordinance for Checking the Spread of Venereal Diseases in 1857.Its main measures included the registration and licensing of brothels,the registration and compulsory medical examination of prostitutes,the detention and treatment of infected prostitutes,and the punishment of prostitutes who spread sexually transmitted diseases to clients.In essence,the legislation of venereal diseases in early modern Hong Kong was distinctively characterized by colonialism,racism and sexism.At the same time,this legislation also strongly challenges the mainstream discourses in academic circles that the British Hong Kong government has long pursued the laissez-faire,non-intervention and indirect rule policies.