丁屋政策中的傳統再詮釋以及新界女性之困境

Reinterpreting Tradition in the Small House Policy: The Dilemma Faced by Indigenous Women in the New Territories

此研究以2019 Kwok Cheuk Kin and Lui Chi Hang v The Director of Lands一案為中心探討丁屋政策中的傳統再詮釋，並討論成文法化的「傳統」如何導致今日所面臨的性別平等困境。Kwok Cheuk Kin挑戰自1972年起實施於香港新界的丁屋政策，主張其歧視女性。丁屋政策賦予可以追溯其父系祖先於1898年即居住在新界的18歲以上成年男子向政府申請蓋房屋之許可（丁屋）。Kwok Cheuk Kin一案最終被法院裁定無違反香港《基本法》以及世界人權公約，惟在三個法院判決中，對於女性權利皆以草草幾字帶過，法院並無積極處理丁屋政策中歧視女性的問題，也無衡量傳統與性平之間的衝突。相反地，法院花了巨大篇幅討論何謂新界原居民的傳統權益。本文認為，判決中對於新界男性居民建造房屋的歷史的考究並不完整，忽略了現今被稱作是傳統權益的丁屋政策實際上是殖民政府和新界居民長期以來對於補地價以以及土地利用的紛爭所產生的協商政策。因此，本研究將從三個層面分析此議題：（一）討論法院如何考究丁屋以及新界土地利用的歷史，以及如何定義何謂《基本法》第40條中的「新界原居民的傳統權益」；（二）以法律史之角度考究並梳理新界自1898年以前至二戰後土地利用的變遷，並以不斷變遷的土地政策為核心，討論丁屋政策中的「傳統再詮釋」；（三）討論在殖民政府所實施的間接統治下，法律制度如何造成新界原居民女性在後殖民時代的今日所面對的困境。藉由融合歷史、性別以及法律之研究途徑，本文希冀以新界女性原居民的困境，反思在不斷變遷的社會中，法律作為權利的平台，該如何在歷史傳統與性別平權達到平衡。

This study examines the gender equality challenges faced by women in the New Territories新界of Hong Kong by investigating the case of Kwok Cheuk Kin and Lui Chi Hang v The Director of Lands in 2019. Kwok Cheuk Kin challenged the sexually discriminatory nature of the Small House Policy (SHP) which has been implemented in the New Territories of Hong Kong since 1972. The SHP granted every New Territories male indigenous inhabitant aged 18 and above whose male ancestors had resided in the New Territories since 1898 permission to build houses. In the rulings of Kwok Cheuk Kin, the court briefly addressed women’s rights and did not actively address the issue of gender discrimination within the SHP, nor did it weigh the conflicts between tradition and gender equality. Instead, the court dedicated significant attention to defining the traditional rights of New Territories indigenous inhabitants. However, the examination of the history of indigenous inhabitants’rights to build houses overlooks the fact that the SHP, now referred to as traditional rights, emerged from negotiations between the colonial government and New Territories residents over land premium and land use disputes. Therefore, this study will analyse this issue from three perspectives: (1) discussing how the court examined the history of the SHP and land use in the New Territories and defined the“traditional rights of New Territories indigenous inhabitants”under Article 40 of the Basic Law基本法; (2) teasing out the changes in land use in the New Territories from before 1898 to post-World War II from a legal history perspective and examining the historical background of the SHP, and argue how the Ding right has been interpreted and reinterpreted as a traditional right; (3) discussing the changes brought about by the colonial government, especially how legal systems under indirect rule have contributed to the challenges faced by New Territories indigenous women today. By integrating historical, legal and gender research approaches, this paper aims to reflect on the plight of New Territories indigenous women and argue that the court, as a platform for rights, should try to strike a balance between historical tradition and gender equality in an ever-changing society.