8 June 2012
Issue 54
8 June 2012
Issue 54
On 5 June 2012, Members of the Policy and Research Committee of the EOC met with the Chief Executive-elect, Mr. LEUNG Chun-ying, to reiterate the Commission’s continuing concern on the issue of education for ethnic minority students. Members called upon the new Administration to take concrete steps to provide these underprivileged students with fair education opportunities. Members were pleased to note the Chief Executive-elect’s reassurance that the pledge in his Election Manifesto will be honored, and that he shared EOC’s vision in seeing all who live and work in Hong Kong as “one family”.
Read the press release
Read the Report of the Working Group on Education for Ethnic Minorities
Read “Out of Touch,” the EOC Chairperson’s article on this issue
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The EOC welcomes the judgment by the District Court on 6 June 2012 in favour of the Plaintiff’s claim of sexual harassment. The Court ruled against the employer for vicarious liability for its employee’s harassing act. The Plaintiff was awarded HK$80,000 for injury to feelings, and the employer was ordered to apologise to her in writing. The ruling clearly illustrates the importance of having an effective policy not only to deal with sexual harassment after the fact, but also to actively prevent it. In this case, the employer was held liable for its employee’s unlawful acts as it did not have in place such a mechanism. The EOC calls upon all employers to take proactive and specific steps to prevent and to deter sexual harassment at work, as well as to ensure that victims of harassment receive proper support.
Read the press release
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In light of increasing public attention on sexual harassment in the workplace, the EO Club organized a seminar entitled, “Myths on Sexual Harassment and How to Prevent It in the Workplace” on 29 March 2012. The seminar covered what behavior constitutes unlawful sexual harassment in the workplace, how to handle employees’ complaints of sexual harassment, and what psychological support can be provided to them in those situations. The guest speaker Ms Dorothy WONG, Centre-in-charge of the Anti-480 - Anti Sexual Violence Resource Centre, also shared useful tips to protect oneself against physical sexual harassment.
The EOC continued to work with local tertiary institutions to raise awareness on sexual harassment on campus to both students and staff via our online training module, “A Matter of S/He”. The module illustrates the liabilities of individuals and educational institutions.
Read more on the sharing at the EO Club seminar on sexual harassment
See “A Matter of S/He”
Stay updated on the EOC's work and positions by referring to our press releases, speeches, media interviews, and calendar training on our website. 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.