Convinced you’ve got the perfect idea to fight discrimination but having not much luck in the money department? The EOC’s Community Participation Funding Programme may just be what you need.

Open for application from now until 20 September 2019, the programme supports projects by NGOs, community groups and schools designed to promote equal opportunities and combat discrimination in Hong Kong. Each successful applicant will receive a maximum of HK$50,000 to implement their idea. From HIV destigmatisation campaigns to talks on legal rights for foreign domestic workers, over 1,160 projects addressing different issues under the four anti-discrimination ordinances in Hong Kong have benefitted from the programme to date.

Interested parties are welcome to join the briefing sessions on 6 August (Cantonese) and 8 August (English) at the EOC office in Wong Chuk Hang.

Find out if your organisation is eligible
Sign up for a briefing session
Get directions to the EOC office
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Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin, Chairperson of the EOC, published an article in am730 on 10 July 2019, calling for greater understanding of persons with visual impairment (PVI). The article followed reports about social media users allegedly mocking a PVI shown to be using a smartphone and accompanied by a guide dog on the MTR.

Mistaking the Labrador Retriever as a large-size bulldog and unaware of the screen-reading functions available in many mobile devices nowadays, they suspected that the PVI was feigning blindness to bring his pet along. Fortunately, they were soon corrected by netizens who knew better and noticed that the Labrador was wearing a guide dog harness.

“The incident revealed a persistent lack of public awareness about the needs of PVIs, who continue to face prejudice and misunderstanding in everyday settings,” wrote Mr Chu. “Also, there is currently no provision in the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO) that outlaws discrimination on the ground of being accompanied by an assistance animal. That is why the EOC, in its 2016 submission to the Government on the Discrimination Law Review (DLR), recommended that the DDO be amended to include being accompanied by an assistance animal as a category of protection from discrimination.”

Mr Chu added, “Technological advances have greatly enhanced PVIs’ access to electronic and communication devices. With better understanding of the life of PVIs, I am sure the public will learn to treat them with more empathy and respect.”

Read Mr Ricky CHU’s article (Chinese only)
Read the EOC’s submission on DLR
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Every year, World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated from 1 to 7 August around the world to mark the anniversary of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration, which recognises the various benefits of breastfeeding and spells out the responsibility of policymakers to protect women’s right to breastfeed.

The Natural Parenting Network in Hong Kong is honouring the occasion this year with a celebratory event on 3 August 2019 (Saturday), from 2pm to 5:30pm at 1/F, Christian Family Service Centre, 3 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong. It will feature photo spots, DIY activities to create badges for breastfeeding mothers, as well as a talk by Dr Bianca LEE-HO Sin-Wan about how to help babies develop a sense of security.

Public education aside, legal safeguards must also be in place to help create a safe and friendly environment for breastfeeding women. In the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2018 now under scrutiny by the Bills Committee of the Legislative Council, the Government has proposed to amend the Sex Discrimination Ordinance to prohibit discrimination on the ground of breastfeeding, following the EOC’s recommendation under the Discrimination Law Review in 2016. The EOC has further advised that the definition of a breastfeeding woman be expanded to include wet nurses, mothers breastfeeding an adopted child or surrogate baby, as well as women who feed their child with donated breast milk. For details, please click the link below.

Find out more about the event organised by Natural Parenting Network (Chinese only)
More on World Breastfeeding Week
Learn about breastfeeding resources offered by the Department of Health
Watch videos of the Bills Committee’s previous meetings
Read the EOC submission to the Legislative Council
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As part of “JC JoyAge: Jockey Club Holistic Support Project for Elderly Mental Wellness”, initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the “International Symposium on Promoting Mental Wellbeing in Ageing Communities: Policy Practice, and Public Awareness” will take place on 2 August 2019 (Friday), 9am – 5:30pm at Loke Yew Hall, The University of Hong Kong. Bringing together world-renowned scholars in the field, it will introduce participants to some of the latest developments in the promotion of mental wellbeing in ageing societies, from public policy and sustainable development goals to preventive strategies and community approaches.

Ageing societies are a global phenomenon. How to address mental health problems affecting our older population is an issue that involves not only individuals and families, but also communities and governments. Register for the symposium now to learn about how we can work better together to respond to the challenge.

View the programme rundown and speaker list
Register for a seat