中文版

  1. EOC’s homepage sports new look for easier navigation

EOC’s homepage sports new look for easier navigationThe EOC has given its homepage a refreshing new look, featuring larger visuals, auto drop-down menus and a sitemap showing all areas of the EOC website at a glance. The wealth of information available has also been reorganised under seven simple, self-explantaory headings, namely “About the EOC”, “Discrimination Laws”, “Enquiries & Complaints”, “Legal Services”, “Policy, Research & Training”, “Publicity & Education” and "Publications”.

The makeover is part of the EOC’s sustained effort to enhance the user experience of its website, which remains a go-to platform for individuals seeking redress for discrimination, employers planning their training programmes, as well as NGOs and academics looking to draw insights from past research. Moving forward, the EOC will continue to work towards perfecting the design and user-friendliness of its digital channels and get the message of anti-discrimination across far and wide.

Visit the EOC website

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  1. Web accessibility should not be an afterthought

Web accessibility should not be an afterthoughtThanks to technological advancements, persons with visual impairment can now surf the Internet and access online services using a screen reader, which reads aloud information on-screen in a computerised voice or shows it on a Braille display. This can only work, however, when websites and digital applications are designed with accessibility in mind.

On 16 July, Hong Kong Blind Union released the findings from its 2018 Web Accessibility Survey. Funded by the EOC, the study reviewed 198 websites in Hong Kong against 12 basic requirements and 10 advanced criteria from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), covering sites of public organisations, listed companies and Legislative Councillors. According to the report, only 16.7% of the websites surveyed, the EOC included, met all the 12 basic requirements, such as providing text description for images and captions for audio tracks. Listed companies, in particular, scored poorly and presented enormous difficulties for persons with visual impariment browsing their sites.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that governments must ensure equal access to information and communications systems for persons with disabilities (PWDs), in order to enable them to participate fully in all aspects of life. Hong Kong has a lot of awareness-raising to do in this regard, and the EOC has responded to the challenge by serving as an independent advisor to the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme this year, organised by Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC) and co-organised by the Office of Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). Aimed at encouraging local enterprises and organisations to design accessible websites and mobile applications, the ongoing scheme just saw the first award ceremony of the 2018-19 programme last month. To join the scheme and learn more about the award categories, please click the link below.

Read the Executive Summary of the study
Read the survey report in full (Chinese only)
Join the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme
Read OGCIO’s Web Accessibility Handbook

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  1. Exhibition to simulate daily life of breastfeeding mothers ahead of World Breastfeeding Week

Exhibition to simulate daily life of breastfeeding mothers ahead of World Breastfeeding WeekWorld Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August around the globe to affirm the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child, and to call for an end to prejudice against the nourishing practice.

To mark the annual awareness campaign, Mamamilk Baby Alliance and Design for Change Hong Kong are presenting an installation art exhibition at Piazza, G/F, Time Square, Causeway Bay on 28 July (12noon – 9pm) and 29 July (12noon – 7pm). EOC Chairperson, Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming will officiate at the opening ceremony on 28 July, and visitors will have the chance to walk a mile in the shoes of breastfeeding mothers and experience the inconvenience and hostility they have to cope with on a daily basis.

As much as public education helps clarify misconceptions, building a breastfeeding-friendly culture also requires a solid legal foundation. The EOC therefore welcomes the Government’s announced plan to submit the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill to the Legislative Council by end of 2018, which would introduce an express provision prohibiting direct and indirect discrimination on the ground of breastfeeding, following the EOC's recommendations under the Discrimination Law Review (DLR). To read an outline of the proposed bill, please click the link below.

Share the event on Facebook (Chinese only)
Read the Government's submission to LegCo
Read the EOC’s submission to the Government on DLR

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  1. Hong Kong to host Asian Family Summit next month

Hong Kong to host Asian Family Summit next monthCo-organised by the Consortium of Institutes on Family in the Asian Region, the Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong, the Family Council, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and the Social Welfare Department, the Asian Family Summit will take place from 19 – 22 August 2018 at Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong.

Carrying the theme “Sustainable Development & Family Well-Being: Agenda for Action in Asia”, the Summit is an echo to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development and aims to provide a platform for public, private, academic sectors and civil society to map out actionable steps to enhancing the well-being of families in Asia. Topics to be covered by the plenary sessions include poverty, family work balance, family health and harmony, and population ageing.

The Summit will be conducted in English. Simultaneous interpretation in Putonghua is available at sessions in the Grand Hall.

View the full programme and speaker line-up
Learn about the post-Summit workshops
Register online

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Visit our website or download the EOC mobile app (Apple App Store / Google Play) to stay updated on the EOC’s work and positions, and to review our press releases and calendar training. 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.