On 29 March, the EOC officially released its submission on the Discrimination Law Review (DLR), along with the report on public responses collected during the four-month public consultation held from July to October 2014, which sought the public’s views on how to simplify, harmonise and modernise the anti-discrimination legislation, in light of the changing needs and demands of society.

		In the submission, the EOC details its 73 recommendations on reforms to the four existing anti-discrimination ordinances, covering a wide range of issues relating to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality for all. It sets out the Commission’s position and prioritisation of the issues, as well as factors considered in the reasoning. Adopting a pragmatic and strategic approach, the EOC has named 27 higher priority issues for legislative reforms or other actions which, in the Commission’s opinion, present more pressing and serious concerns. In formulating its position on the issues and recommendations on the law reforms, the EOC took into account divergent perspectives as well as a number of  other
factors, including the Commission’s own operational experience and relevant developments locally and internationally. The EOC also processed and analysed carefully the 125,041 public responses received from both organisations and individuals, and their reasoning behind.
“The EOC has a statutory duty to review the anti-discrimination legislation and ensure equal protection of all, which is why we have undertaken this comprehensive review,” said Dr. York CHOW, the EOC Chairperson. “The EOC is grateful for the immense public attention given to this review. Certainly, the submission is not just about the EOC’s own opinion, but represents the aspiration and collective vision for change, which was shared with us from the Hong Kong community in the review process, towards the ultimate goal of being a truly inclusive society.”
“Throughout the review, what has become clear is that there are multiple groups in society, including women, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities, who still cannot participate equally in everyday life and opportunities in this city… In a number of respects, the EOC feels that the current provisions do not adequately protect against discrimination, and should be strengthened. The EOC also recognises that proactive measures to address systemic inequalities are necessary if Hong Kong is to demonstrate its commitment to the values of diversity and inclusion. We therefore believe that the proposed changes would be vital steps forward for the Hong Kong community in mapping out its equality landscape for the future,” added Dr. Chow.
Read the media statement Read the Submission and Report on Public Responses

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission. To observe the day, on 21 March 2016, the EOC Chairperson, Dr. York CHOW, published an op-ed article in the South China Morning Post and Ming Pao Daily to call on Hong Kong to consider its progress and challenges in achieving racial equality. “There is ample evidence to demonstrate that ethnic minority Hongkongers continue to face enormous barriers to equal opportunities starting from an early age, which leaves them more vulnerable to intergenerational poverty,” wrote Dr. Chow. “What is sorely needed is a comprehensive policy solution covering different domains, including education, employment and access to services.” Dr. Chow also urged the community to embrace a more inclusive definition of a “Hongkonger”, and recognise the contributions made to the Hong Kong society by its ethnic minority members. “Surely, what defines a ‘Hongkonger’ is neither ethnicity nor circumstances, but the mutual love for this city and willingness to contribute to our shared future. We need to banish the prejudicial attitudes and stereotypical assumptions that have stubbornly remained. Whatever our backgrounds, we all deserve equal respect and opportunity to reach our potential,” noted Dr. Chow.

Read the South China Morning Post article (in English only)
Read the Ming Pao Daily article (in Chinese only)

On 18 March, the EOC launched the “Let’s Build an Inclusive Hong Kong Together” Roving Exhibition to promote racial inclusion. Held in various locations with a high population of ethnic minority residents and/or high pedestrian flow, this exhibition aims to promulgate the principles and applications of the Race Discrimination Ordinance, as well as the functions and work of EOC, to the public and widen their understanding. The first one was held at Star Ferry, Central on 18-23 March 2016. Please see below the exhibition’s remaining schedule and locations and come visit us.

Location	Date
Kowloon City Plaza, Kowloon City	2-4 April
Cityplaza South 5/F, Tai Koo Shing	21-25 April
Hoi Fu Shopping Centre, Mong Kok	1-3 May
Kwai Chung Shopping Centre, Kwai Chung	8-14 June
Tin Yan Shopping Centre, Tin Shui Wai	22-28 June

Additionally, a parallel exhibition will also be put on display in various ethnic minority languages in venues with larger numbers of ethnic minority visitors, such as Kowloon Mosque, Pakistan Club, Sikh Temple and support centres for ethnic minorities. The content of the exhibition covers all four anti-discrimination ordinances and the EOC’s complaint-handling mechanism, with the aim of raising the awareness among the ethnic minority population of the protection under the existing anti-discrimination legislation.

One of the key barriers to racial equality in Hong Kong is the relative lack of ethnic minority representation in policy-making and advisory committees of the Government. The EOC is a supporting organisation of Zubin Foundation’s “Race for Opportunity: Diversity List” – the first list of its kind in Hong Kong comprising committed ethnic minority individuals who have the skills, experience and passion to serve on Hong Kong Government advisory committees. The list was officially launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 2016. Mr. Michael CHAN, the Chief Operations Officer of the EOC, was a panellist at the launch event’s discussion on the “importance of including ethnic minorities on Government bodies and companies in Hong Kong.”

A World of Colours: The EOC’s Racial Equality Resource Webpage
More about the Zubin Foundation’s “Race for Opportunity: Diversity List”

Since its establishment in 1997, the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women (ACSVAW) has been dedicating its effort to support women victims of sexual violence. Its crisis centre RainLily offers victims one-stop service around the clock. On 8 March, coinciding with the International Women’s Day 2016, the Association launched their new Preventing Sexual Harassment Mobile App: 1AM (“1st Action Moment”), with sponsorship from Zonta Club Kowloon. The first free app in Asia to prevent gender violence against women, 1AM is a help-seeking and self-help mobile application with the capacity to link up crisis centres and provide professional guidance to help-seekers. The app allows users to build a network of contacts to provide support in the occurrence of sexual attacks. Users can seek help from the supportive network through SMS capability and can be located through a GPS function. The app also links the individual to crisis centres such as the nearest police station and hospital, as well as activates fake calls and alarm functions during an emergency.

		On 29 March, the EOC Chairperson, Dr. York CHOW appeared as a guest host of the radio programme “Share My Song” on Commercial Radio 1. On top of sharing his pick of songs, Dr. Chow invited listeners to show their support to the work of RainLily by sending a blank SMS to 50 881 903. With each SMS, RainLily will receive HK$5 donation.
		Download the app (iPhone) Download the app (Android) More about the ACSVAW

Do you have a passion for equality and want to contribute to a more inclusive society? Join our team! The EOC is now recruiting a communications professional to act as one of the lead English editors of the organisation, and produce top-quality materials for communicating the messages of equality and non-discrimination, and promulgating the work of the EOC to the community. Check out our recruitment webpage (via below link) for details of the post and other vacancies in the Commission. The EOC is an equal opportunities employer.

See current job vacancies at the EOC

In order to better engage SME sector in Hong Kong on LGBT inclusion and raise the profile of good work that is being done, Community Business has broadened the focus of the LGBT Inclusion Award – SME from a pure focus on a workplace initiative to a general approach on promoting LGBT inclusion, internally and/or externally. The new deadline for nomination is Monday 4 April 2016.

All efforts, regardless of the size of the company or the level of financial and other resources that have been utilised, count towards greater inclusion. If you know any SME, including your own company, that is making efforts on LGBT workplace inclusion, nominate them now. As a nominator, you will also get the chance to win a prize.

In case you company is not yet ready for the Awards but would like to know more about LGBT inclusion, you may instead sign up for the Driving Best Practice in LGBT Workplace Inclusion Workshop Series. Find out more from the links below.

Details of the Award
Download nomination form
More about the LGBT Workplace Inclusion Workshop Series