10 June 2014
Issue 97
10 June 2014
Issue 97
Hong Kong is a multicultural society committed to equality, including equal opportunities to education. Given that our school children are from diverse backgrounds and have different needs, it would be appropriate for school uniform rules to respect and take into account diverse cultural, religious and racial practices. Otherwise, children’s race equality rights under the law may be affected. To assist in the development and implementation of uniform rules in schools in a way that accord with the principles of equality, the EOC has produced a short guide on this topic. The guide offers practical advice and examples on school uniform rules, with references to overseas cases where relevant. Apart from distributing the guide to principals and school administrators, the EOC will organize two seminars for the school administrators on 30 June and 7 July 2014 to widen understanding on this issue.
Link to the Guide
Read the press release
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On 3 June 2014, the EOC and the Gender Research Centre (GRC) of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia Pacific Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong jointly launched a dedicated website on the “Feasibility Study on Legislating Against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex (LGBTI) Status” to provide comprehensive information about the Study. The bilingual website offers quick and easy access to essential information about the Study, including the background, research methods, details of the public forums and focus groups, as well as the related online registration. Members of the public, LGBTI individuals and all other stakeholders can express their opinions and concerns about legislating against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI) and intersex status, and share their experience of discrimination on relevant grounds through the website. In addition, to provide an avenue for members of the public and all stakeholders to share their views and concerns on the subject matter, three public forums will be held this year on 29 June, 30 August and 27 September in three different districts respectively, as well as focus groups for members of the public and LGBTI persons to share their opinions. For more information and participation in the forums, please see the link below.
Dedicated website on the “Feasibility Study on Legislating Against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex (LGBTI) Status”
Read the press release on the website’s launch
Read the press release on the launch of the Study
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On 22 May 2014, the EOC announced the findings of the “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination – Questionnaire Survey for Workers of Service Industries”, which was conducted in partnership with the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) and Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCFU) from November 2013 to March 2014. It revealed that almost one-fifth or 19% (72) of the respondents across the retail / catering / healthcare and nursing industries had been sexually harassed when they were at work in the last twelve months, while about 6% (21) indicated that they had either witnessed or heard about complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace. A higher occurrence of sexual harassment was observed in the industries of community/social/personal services (25%) and caring services (22%). The victims are mostly front-line workers who have frequent contacts with customers and co-workers. Convenor of the EOC’s Policy and Research Committee, Dr. John TSE Wing-ling, said, “It is worrying that sexual harassment has become part of the working culture of the service industries… The statistics indicate that the longer the employees are in the service industries, the more they are adapted to the industries’ unique setting and accept sexual harassment as part and parcel of their jobs.” The EOC urges the Government to speed up the process of amending the Sex Discrimination Ordinance to protect service providers against sexual harassment by customers or clients in the workplace. The legislative amendment will provide important protections for workers in the service sector.
Read the press release
Summary of the survey findings
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The EOC is delighted to have been granted the Distinguished Family-Friendly Employers Award 2013/14. The Family Friendly Employer Award Scheme, which is organized by the Family Council, aims to raise awareness of employers of the importance of family core values, and to give recognition to companies/organizations that demonstrate a family-friendly spirit. Participating organizations are assessed by the family-friendly employment policies and practices implemented, benefits brought to the organization and employees, as well as the rationale behind these policies and management commitment. The EOC has all along placed great emphasis on being a family-friendly employer, and is proud to promote such workplace culture in Hong Kong.
More about the Family-Friendly Employers Award 2013/14
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The EOC is delighted to congratulate Ms Su-Mei THOMPSON, EOC Member and CEO of The Women’s Foundation (TWF), on being named the winner of The List’s Women of Hope 2014 Awards in the category of “Women’s Rights Champion.” The Women of Hope Awards aims to honour the achievements of women across a variety of categories, including “Science and Tech Stars”, “Eco Warriors” and “Inspiring Entrepreneurs”. Ms Thompson was recognised for her efforts to advance the rights of women and girls in Hong Kong. In addition, an EOC staff member in the Corporate Communications and Training Unit, Ms Devi NOVIANTI, was also a nominee in this category for her work in promoting gender equality as well as her initiatives to support various organisations working towards providing equal opportunities for women. Our heartfelt congratulations to both women for this well-deserved recognition!
See the full list of nominees
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The EOC is pleased to have been bestowed with two international accolades recently. First, our Annual Report 2012/13, with the theme, “An Inclusive Society Starts with Respect,” was recognised with a Bronze Award in the 27th Mercury Award 2013/14, in the “Annual Reports - Overall Presentation - Publicly Funded Non-Profit” category. The International Mercury Awards honour the best in public relations, public affairs and corporate communications. Judging is based on the values of creativity, effectiveness and performance, such as how effectively the material meets the stated objectives, the use of material to illustrate and clarify the information, and the overall expression of message.
In addition, an episode of the EOC’s TV Docu-drama Series 2013 (jointly produced with RTHK) about ethnic minorities (titled “少數” or “In the Minority”) was recently awarded a Silver World Medal (TV Movie/Drama Special) in the New York Festivals 2014 and a Bronze Award (TV Programs) at the 35th Annual Telly Awards. The New York Festivals (NYF) has been honouring the world’s best work in all media since 1957. Their Television & Film Awards are judged by award-winning directors, producers, writers, actors and various other creative media professionals from across the globe.
View the EOC’s Annual Report 2012/13
View the episode: “In the Minority少數” (in Cantonese and Putonghua)
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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.