Submission for the multimedia competition under EOC’s new youth engagement initiative “Generation i” will close on 26 January 2019. Co-organised by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Jockey Club Media 21, the programme welcomes all secondary school students in Hong Kong to create an A3-size comic strip or a short video of 2 minutes or below on what equality means to them. Cash prizes as high as HK$8,000 will be awarded to impactful works that communicate why diversity and inclusion matter.
 
To enable participants to develop a creative vision as well as practical skills in comic drawing and video production, two workshops were conducted in November 2018 by local illustrator and cartoonist Dreamergo and award-winning director Jevons AU respectively. Speaking from their personal experience, they showed that creativity is not some elusive concept, but an effective channel to express one’s beliefs and commitment to social causes. Videos featuring highlights of the workshops have been uploaded to the EOC YouTube channel. To view the footage, please click the link below.
 
Enquiries about the competition can be directed to the EOC at 2511 8211 or generationi@eoc.org.hk.

Apply now
Learn more about the rules and regulations
Watch videos of the workshops on YouTube (in Cantonese only)

On 19 December 2018, the Department of Public Policy of The City University of Hong Kong announced the findings of an EOC-funded study on little people, i.e. people with dwarfism, titled “Creating a Discrimination-free and Barrier-free Living Environment for the ‘Little People’ in Hong Kong”. Under the study, 523 members of the public were surveyed via a questionnaire, while people with dwarfism as well as their families were engaged through in-depth interviews between November 2017 and July 2018.

The study findings showed that there is an evident misunderstanding of little people among the public, with 83.6% of questionnaire respondents acknowledging that they had an inadequate or very inadequate knowledge about them. Common misconceptions include dwarfism being invariably a genetically inherited condition, and that the height difference between children with and without dwarfism will narrow over time, as the former grow up. The survey also revealed derogatory attitudes – more than 40% of respondents had the perception that little people belong to a special species and have an unpleasant look.

Social prejudice is not the only barrier in the lives of little people, however. Interviewees reported having trouble accessing public facilities, such as urinals, drinking fountains and bank counters, that are situated way too high. Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO), unless there is unjustifable hardship in developing or alterating designs to make these facilities accessible to little people, failing to accommodate their needs may be unlawful and constitute indirect discrimination.

The report ends with recommendations for action on various fronts, from enhancing public education and calling out media stereotyping of little people to adopting the principles of universal design in the construction of new buildings and renovation of existing structures. Only with a concerted effort across sectors can we build a society free from discrimination and remove the barriers for little people and other people with disabilities.

Read the press release
Read the Executive Summary of the study
Read the full report (Chinese only)
More on DDO

From the superficial, inaccurate representation of transgender people as psychopaths in the 1960s to the most recent portrayal of a transgender girl dreaming of becoming a professional ballerina in the Golden Globe-nominated Girl, cinema has come a long way in addressing transgender issues. Locally, transgender movies have slowly made their way to the mainstream. One of these is A Woman is A Woman, for which the EOC helped fund script development. Directed by Maisy Goosy SUEN and produced by transgender activist Mimi WONG, the film portrays two transwomen and their courageous struggle for self-actualisation. Following earlier screenings in November 2018, the movie is making a comeback to local theatres on 18 and 19 January 2019, and has been selected for the Hong Kong Independent Film Festival 2019 for screening on 20 January 2019 at the Louis Koo Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre. For ticketing information, please refer to the links below.

About A Woman is A Woman
Get tickets for the movie at the Hong Kong Independent Film Festival

The social work profession plays a significant role in  building social cohesion, enhancing the well-being of the local community, and serving the weak, the disadvantaged and the marginalised in society. To foster a high standard of professional practice and ethics of social work, the Hong Kong Social Workers Association has been operating since 1949. To celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2019, the Association is joining hands with the Social Work and Social Administration Department of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to co-host an International Conference on “Change and Innovation for a Better World: the Future of Social Work Profession” on 27-28 June 2019 at the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus of HKU. Other co-organisers include the social work department of fives local universities, Hong Kong Association of Schools of Social Work and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

The conference will explore different themes, including family and child protection, health and mental health, and diversity and social inclusion. Submission of abstract is now open until 31 January 2019.

Read the submission guidelines