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網址 Website: www.eoc.org.hk
網址 Website: www.eoc.org.hk
At the meeting of the Legislative Council’s Subcommittee on Improving Barrier Free Access and Facilities for Persons with Disabilities on 18 February 2012, the EOC Chairperson, Mr. LAM Woon-kwong, presented the Commission’s submission urging the Government and society to move beyond the concept of barrier-free access to Universal Design, which means catering to the needs of all people at the design stage. He explained that universal design is already a mainstream issue in overseas jurisdictions due to the ageing population. He called on the Government to take the lead on this issue and provide incentives for the private sector to follow.
Mr. Lam also discussed the importance of access to elderly persons and people with disabilities at the Inclusive Transport and Accessible Travel Conference 2012, organized by the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation on 18 January. “I urge the Hong Kong Government,” he said, “to seriously consider legislating to mandate all pre-1997 premises to provide barrier-free access wherever feasible and within a reasonable timeframe, for this important target can only be achieved through communal consent to legislate for change, not by piecemeal complaint handling.”
Read the EOC Chairperson’s speech on 18 January 2012 (in Chinese only)
View the EOC’s Submission to the Subcommittee
View/Listen to the LegCo webcast
Map Version of Hong Kong Access Guide for Visitors with Disabilities (Access Guide)
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Many of us enjoy the convenience of travelling on a bus or a train without thinking twice. Yet for others, these modes of transport are still far from fully accessible. To address this issue, the EOC will organize a sharing session on Accessible Public Transport Services on 10 March 2012 (Saturday). The sharing session will focus on franchised buses and rail transport, which are the two major means of public transport in the local community. The sharing session aims to provide a platform for different stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, policymakers, government representatives as well as public transport operators, to exchange views and experiences in relation to the accessibility of public transport services. The session will also shed light on challenges encountered by persons with disabilities in using public transport services and will present an opportunity to discuss the way forward. This session will be conducted in Cantonese, with places allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For details, please refer to the below links.
Details and Registration
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On 20 February 2012, the Equal Opportunities Commission issued legal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Cap. 480 in the District Court on behalf of a shop manager of a beauty salon who alleged that she was discriminated against on the ground of her pregnancy by her former employer who demoted her and then dismissed her when she rejected the demotion. By taking this case to court, the EOC hopes to raise public awareness of the rights of pregnant women under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, and to remind employers that it is illegal to take adverse action against an employee because of her pregnancy.
Read the press release
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To continuously promote equal opportunities to all and widen awareness of everyone’s rights and responsibilities, the EOC has been actively outreaching to various communities. Since the beginning of 2012, six workshops have been organized by the EOC on a variety of topics including sick leave and work injury, sex discrimination, and race discrimination to various ethnic minority groups. The EOC also conducted outreach activities to Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre in Wanchai, and held information booths at the carnivals run by International Social Service’s H.O.P.E Centre as well as the Thai Women’s Association and Bayanihan Centre on February 19th and 12th respectively. In addition, we are contributing regular articles featuring real-life cases of discrimination to publications in various languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Nepalese and Thai, and we will begin to broadcast regular segments about equal opportunities on various ethnic minority radio shows on Digital Broadcasting Corporation (DBC)’s Digital We Channel beginning in March. Tune in and do get in touch with us if you are planning an event relating to equal opportunities!
A World of Colours: The EOC’s resource webpage on ethnic minority issues
Stay updated on the EOC's work and positions by referring to our press releases, speeches, media interviews, and calendar training on our website. Also, stay tuned on other equal opportunities issues and community initiatives by visiting our community resources and community events pages for information from our community partners, including publications, survey reports, publicity campaigns, and upcoming conferences.