Incest is having sexual relations with any close relative. In Hong Kong, any person is guilty of incest who has sexual intercourse with grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren, half- brothers or half-sisters. Even intending to do any of these things is classified as incest, under the law. And whether or not a person consents to sex is irrelevant. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.

Against Child Abuse's office in Wong Tai Sin

Against Child Abuse received six cases of incest while the Hong Kong Federation of Youth reported about 45 incest cases in recent years.

A senior clinical psychologist of the Correctional Services Department, Mrs. Lo Chan Ching Chuen, said it is difficult to evaluate the seriousness of the problem because the number of unreported cases is a major unknown. "Referring to the data released by the Correctional Services Department, there are 12 criminals in prisons for incest. The data show no significant increases recently," said Mrs. Lo.

Considering factors leading to incest, Dr. Cheung Yuet Wah of the Sociology Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong said it is impossible to make a meaningful analysis, as representative statistics are still unavailable in Hong Kong.

Miss Anita Lau of Against Child Abuse believed the present problem of incest in Hong Kong is more or less the same as that of the United States 10 to 20 years ago. Thus, findings about incest cases in the United States are applicable in Hong Kong, where no significant research has been done.

"A role reversal may be found in these families. The abusers, usually the parents, expect their children to meet their needs and make them feel better while in normal families, parents are expected to satisfy their children's needs. Usually, these are `isolated families', such as those who have recently migrated here. They have little or no support from relatives and friends. In these families, there is usually a weak conjugal relationship. For example, either the husband or the wife has long-term illness or is sexually incapable," she said.

The incestuous parents generally have personality problems _ male or female chauvinism, for example. "They are possessive, impulsive, aggressive, and they believe what they do is right," Miss Lau said.

Meanwhile, psychologist Mrs. Lo agreed with Miss Lau that incestuous fathers are usually those who are dissatisfied with their sex partners. "In some cases, the fathers are greatly suspicious of their wives. When their daughters enter adolescence, incest results if they cannot resist the sexual appeal," said Mrs. Lo.

She added that abusers have cognitive problems. They think that women should submit to men. Said Mrs. Lo: "Those who commit incest usually have a distorted moral standard, so they don't feel guilty about their acts. On the contrary, they blame others for exposing them (to authorities)."

Furthermore, Miss Lau said, feelings of isolation and distrust are a general mentality of abusers. She added that they are often victims of sexual abuse themselves. "Research in the United States found that incest continues for an average of three generations without interruption," said Miss Lau.

However, Mrs. Lo does not concur. "According to my experience, abusers usually do not have such a history of being sexually abused. In some cases, abusers are alcoholic. They commit incest when they are drunk."

Social background is always regarded as a factor of incest. Miss Lau thought this characterization was unfair.

"Incest, like other child abuse cases, could be complicated by social problems such as poverty and alcohol abuse. But it is unfair to attribute ones' social background, like occupation and educational level, as direct causes. Incest could, in fact, happen in all kinds of families. Parents in better-off families have the financial means to seek other channels for sexual release if their spouses cannot satisfy them, while those in poor families do not have such an easy solution. Hence, there may be a greater chance of incest in poor families. We can only explain it like this," she said.

Yet, referring to the cases she has dealt with, Mrs. Lo considered the abusers `primitive people'. They have low education and income levels, and they think that their daughters like to have sex with them or to be fondled by them because they show no resistance. "Some attribute incest to social problems such as dense living conditions. It may be a factor, because in some incest cases, fathers have had to sleep with their daughters. But these are just indirect and minor factors. The most direct and important ones are the abusers' own psychological problems," Mrs Lo said.

According to research in the United States, the average age of incest victims is 8, but the average age of reported victims is 14. Thus, incest usually lasts for several years, and this prolonged experience with incest has a tremendous negative impact on victims, both physically and psychologically. Victims characteristically have urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, recurrent abdominal pains and enuresis, or bed-wetting behaviour. In some cases, victims suffer memory loss. In others, the nightmare lingers as guilt and despair.

Said Mrs. Lo: "Incest victims have low self-esteem. They hold themselves solely responsible for the breakup of their families. (They think) it is all their fault because they do not handle the whole thing well." Miss Lau agreed,"(Some) victims have confused moral standards which result in conduct disorders. Thus, moral reconstruction, which can take more than 10 years to achieve, is one of the main tasks therapists and psychologists should focus on. Victims distrust others, especially people of the opposite sex. The abusers, usually their parents, are the people they trust and love most, and they are supposed to be their heroes. If even parents cannot be trusted, how can they trust others? Moreover, some victims become frightened of sex _ or even intimate acts like kissing."

Worse still, incest can pass from one generation to another. It forms a vicious cycle. Incest victims are likely to become sexual abusers of either their own children or other children, according to Miss Lau.

"An example was Lam Kor Wan who was found guilty of raping, killing and dismembering several women in1980s. He was a victim of sexual abuse when he was young. Another example occurred in the United States in 1991. It involved a former president of a university in Washington, D.C. Though very intelligent and successful, he sexually harassed many female childcare workers over the telephone. Tracing his history, it was discovered that he was a victim of incest. Victims tend to be emotionally unstable. They have confused feelings of anger, guilt and shame," said Miss Lau. She also said if victims are pregnant, they have to face the added burden of whether to have the baby.

According to Dr. Ares K. L. Leung, when recessive genes from both a male and a female occur in the fetus, the children have a high probability of having genetic defects. "When sexual intercourse takes place between two closely related people, such as a father and a daughter, the chance of recessive genes on both sides is higher. But I have to clarify that not all babies produced by close relatives will have biological problems," said Mr. Leung.

With such horrifying experiences, victims need long-term psychological counselling. Nevertheless, recovery is not guaranteed, said Mrs. Lo. "Degree of recovery depends on the character of the victims for example, whether they are self-confident. It also depends on family support and the extent of psychological damage," Mrs. Lo added.

However, psychological counselling services in this regard are insufficient. Clients generally have to wait eight months for counselling, said Mrs. Lo.