On 5 June 2015, the South China Morning Post published a letter by the EOC Chairperson, Dr. York Chow, who reiterated the Commission’s concern with the discrimination faced by Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities, including in accessing equal education and in the provision of services. Dr. Chow pointed out the various initiatives undertaken by the EOC on this front, including the setting up of a new dedicated unit to work on racial equality issues, and the upcoming workshop for banking practitioners being organised in partnership with the Hong Kong Association of Banks and The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers. Dr. Chow also noted that the Commission is preparing new resource materials on the Race Discrimination Ordinance for school administrators, teachers, parents and students, in order to facilitate an equitable learning environment. “As a diverse city committed to inclusion, we must do better to remove the existing systemic barriers faced by ethnic minority community members and ensure everyone is treated with respect,” wrote Dr. Chow.

The EOC has all along been committed to ensuring equal opportunities for ethnic minority members of our community. We have conducted extensive outreach to different communities and groups to heighten awareness on racial equality, in addition to providing information about everyone’s rights and responsibilities under the discrimination law in Hindi, Indonesian, Nepali, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu languages, in addition to English and Chinese. Please see the links below for more information.

Read the full letter
A World of Colours: the EOC’s Resource Page on Race Issues

On 6 July 2015, the EOC, jointly with The Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) and The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers (HKIB), will co-organize the “Commissioners Dialogue – Treat Customers Fairly – Sharing from Equal Opportunities Commission”. From time to time, minority groups have raised their concerns on the treatment received in accessing bank service. To address these concerns, this training session aims at promoting banking practitioners’ knowledge of anti-discrimination legislation and raising their sensitivity to the ethnic culture and gender identity of customers from minority groups. This seminar targets bank staff from the front office as well as centralised offices on compliance, channel management, or public relations.

Date:	6 July 2015 (Monday)
Time:	4:30pm – 6:00pm
Language:	Cantonese (Supplemented with English materials)
Venue:	The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers 3/F Guangdong Investment Building 148 Connaught Road Central Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

More details

With the gazettal of the Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Bill 2014 last December, sexual harassment by customers against providers or prospective providers of goods, facilities or services – even if the act occurs on local ships and aircraft outside Hong Kong – became unlawful. To widen public understanding on this amendment under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) and the improved protection against sexual harassment in this area, the EOC has produced a new leaflet on this topic. The new leaflet lays out what providers of goods, facilities and services can do when they face sexual harassment by their customers, including their rights and protection under the law and how they can lodge a complaint to the EOC.

In addition, recognising that many small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may have concerns about the resources required to implement anti-sexual harassment policies at work, the EOC has made available presentation materials from our sharing session, “SMEs - An Equal Workplace for All”, held in February 2015. The presentations included “Tips for SME Operators on Preventing Sexual Harassment”, which highlight the legal liability of employers, and advice on how to put in place policies and practices for preventing sexual harassment, as well as ways of handling complaints.

“Sexual Harassment – The Sex Discrimination Ordinance Protects Providers of Goods, Facilities or Services” Leaflet
Presentation materials from “SMEs – An Equal Workplace for All” sharing session (in Chinese only)
“Tips for SME Operators on Preventing Sexual Harassment” (in Chinese only)
The EOC’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Resource Webpage

As a part of our ongoing Anti-Sexual Harassment Campaign and to build on our previous work to prevent sexual harassment in the education sector, the EOC held a workshop for university student leaders on 5 June 2015, “Play Smart: Say No to Sexual Harassment”. The workshop aimed to build students’ awareness on preventing sexual harassment in campus activities and events. Altogether, 47 student leaders from eight tertiary institutions attended the workshop. Dr. York CHOW, Chairperson of the EOC, said, “The Commission recognises that campus activities and events form a central part of students’ social and academic life. In organising this tailored training workshop, our goal is to deepen the knowledge on gender equality concepts and promote awareness and understanding of sexual harassment. For student leaders who are in charge of planning and executing campus activities, a specific objective of the workshop is to encourage them to avoid the risk of sexual harassment and the creation of a ‘sexualised’ environment, particularly those which may be inadvertent or subconscious, through games, verbal encouragement, and coercive conduct. This is an important step towards ensuring a safe and harassment-free learning environment for all.”

Read the press release on the “Play Smart: Say No to Sexual Harassment” workshop
“A Matter of S/He: Preventing Sexual Harassment on Campus” Online Training

The public exhibition of the PolyU Design Annual Show 2015, which showcases the work of students in the Bachelor’s & Sub-degree and Master’s programmes of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design, will run until 10 July 2015. This year, innovative designs aimed at facilitating the daily lives of people with disability will be among the works being displayed. Pre-registration for guided group tours is also available. Please see below for more details.

Date:	30 May – 10 July 2015
Time:	11:30am – 7:30pm (closed on Sundays)
Venue:	Jockey Club Innovation Tower, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

PolyU Design Annual Show 2015