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Sexual Harassment Questioned
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Lately, we in Hong Kong have seen continuing developments in the media which have sparked off a heated public debate regarding, how women are portrayed in our society. Equality of, and respect for both genders, is one of the cornerstones of our work at the Commission, and we have promoted this concept in the education field, training for the employment sector, as well as in prime time TV programmes, on our website and a number of major publicity campaigns.
Out of this current debate, perhaps one of the more perplexing questions for a lot of people, is sexual harassment. What exactly constitutes sexual harassment?
In very simple terms, it is unwelcome behaviour of a sexual nature, which can be verbal or non-verbal. You might ask, who decides what is "unwelcomed"? This assessment is based on relevant circumstances in which a reasonable person would feel intimidated or offended. The harasser could make an unwelcome sexual advance, such as physical contact, or sometimes it could take the form of an unwelcome request for a sexual favour. In practical terms; the trigger point is the subjective feeling of the victim, who feels that she or sometimes he, has been offended, humiliated or intimidated.
Sexual harassment can take place between a man and a woman, between women and between men. It can also happen in a group, when several people are engaged in conduct of a sexual nature which creates a sexually hostile or intimidating working environment. Complaints lodged with the EOC have included sexually explicit jokes told by male colleagues or supervisors in an office, which some female staff would find intimidating. An otherwise innocuous comment, e.g. about a woman's appearance, or even the way she dresses, could be offensive if the utterance, coupled with relevant circumstance, such as the place and manner of speech, could result in the creation of a sexually hostile environment.
October 2006
Click here for "Preventing and dealing with sexual harassment"
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EOC Welcomes new UN convention to protect rights of persons with disabilities
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The EOC welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on the International Convention to Protect and Promote the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities, which will pave the way for the Convention to be formally sent to the General Assembly for adoption at its next session, this September.
"This is indeed a great step forward for persons with disabilities, as the Convention prohibits disability discrimination in all areas of life, including civil rights, access to justice and the right to education, health services and access to transportation. It has been a privilege to be able to participate in the process of crafting the Convention, which will be a milestone for the protection of disability rights. I am glad that we have been able to make a modest contribution, in sharing our experience of administrating the anti-discrimination ordinances, the complaint handling and redress mechanisms in Hong Kong," said Mr. Raymond Tang, Chairperson of the EOC.
The Convention, seeks to produce a paradigm shift in dealing with disability rights from a welfare and charity based approach to a rights based model for the world's estimated 650 million persons with disabilities. Successful completion of the treaty was reached last Friday.
Mr. Tang continued, "I look forward to the Hong Kong SAR government to express support for the international covenant, and furthermore early ratification by the Central Government, when the Covenant after its endorsement by the General Assembly becomes open for signature and ratification by the state parties."
Please click here for details.
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Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
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Hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on the Second Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
The Committee on CEDAW will hold its Thirty-sixth Session at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 7 to 25 August 2006. Fifteen country reports of State Parties, including China, will be examined during the Thirty-sixth Session. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) second periodic report under the CEDAW will also be examined as part of the country report of the People’s Republic of China.
Please click here for details.
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Study on Women in Poverty
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The Subcommittee to Study the Subject of Combating Poverty formed under the House Committee of the Legislative Council (LegCo) has requested the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to provide information on EOC’s study on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value (EPEV), progress made in reducing discrimination against women after enactment of the anti-discrimination legislation, and difficulties encountered and improvements required to eliminate discrimination against women. The information is provided in response to the Subcommittee’s request.
Please click here for details.
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