Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous Lunar New Year from the Equal Opportunities Commission! We look forward to continuing our work with you to build an inclusive society. |
To enhance access to our services by people with hearing impairment/speech difficulties, the EOC has launched a new SMS enquiry service. From now on, enquiries can be sent to us via text messages at the number 6972566616538. Users should provide the following details in the SMS: (1) Name; (2) Contact telephone number; (3) A brief description of the enquiry.
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The EOC congratulates a champion for gender equality, Professor Fanny M. CHEUNG, on her latest appointment as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). From 1996 to 1999, Professor Cheung served as the Founding Chairperson of the EOC. She also established the Gender Research Centre and initiated the Gender Studies Programme at CUHK. Throughout her career, Professor Cheung has been an advocate for and a pioneer of gender equality. With women in top positions in universities still few and far between - By 2012, female senior university officers (including Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and University Secretaries) in Hong Kong tertiary institutions number less than 10% of the total - her appointment again breaks new ground and makes her a well-recognised positive role model for women in leadership. In Breaking New Ground: Promoting Equal Opportunities in Hong Kong, a collection of her speeches as EOC Chairperson, Professor Cheung noted that, “Equal opportunities are more than a matter of law; they are a way of living.”
Read the CUHK press release
Listen to Prof. Cheung on the EOC’s RTHK1 radio programme, “Women Pioneers” (in Cantonese)
Read “Women and Girls in Hong Kong: Current Situations and Future Challenges”
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Many workers in Hong Kong face difficulty in juggling the demands of their jobs and their family responsibilities. Facilitating workers to adequately balance their professional and personal lives must be an imperative for employers, in order to boost employee engagement and productivity. The EOC advocates the implementation of family-friendly policies in the workplace and urges employers to proactively build a supportive work culture. Recently, Mr. LAM Woon-kwong, the EOC Chairperson, published an article in the newsletter of Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong on this topic. In the article, Mr. Lam noted that today’s generation of workers often seek more than a high salary when selecting their career paths. With family-friendly policies, companies can become employers of choice and attract high-calibre talent, in addition to helping to enhance gender equality in society.
Read the Chairperson’s article in Tsung Tsin Mission of Hong Kong’s newsletter (in Chinese)
Read the Chairperson’s speech at the Hong Kong Family Law Association
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The One Billion Rising Movement is a global initiative with the aim of raising awareness on and ending violence against women. Through our work, the EOC has been advocating gender equality and urging society to put an end to this disrespect and abuse of power. Since 2007, the Commission has run an on-line training module on sexual harassment, “A Matter of S/He.” Over 4,400 students from 13 participating tertiary institutions have registered in this training programme. In 2012, the EOC conducted a total of 126 training sessions on the subject of sexual harassment, reaching nearly 7,000 participants in Hong Kong. On 19 February 2013, the EOC will join the University of Hong Kong and Rainlily to facilitate a workshop on “Understanding and Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.” The event is part of the university’s week-long initiatives to support the One Billion Rising Movement:
Date: | 19 February 2013 |
Time: | 5:30 – 7:30 pm |
Venue: | 11/F Academic Conference Room, Cheng Yu Tung Tower, University of Hong Kong |
(To register, please email puja@hku.hk)
The EOC’s on-line training programme on sexual harassment: A Matter of S/He
More about the One Billion Rising Movement
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Do you know what barriers people with disabilities encounter in accessing services? Can an employer be held legally accountable if sexual harassment occurs at work? The EOC’s Calendar Training for Spring 2013 is now available for employers, human resource practitioners, and members of the public to learn about discrimination issues and the anti-discrimination ordinances. Among the courses are the revamped “Access for All” workshop, featuring a dialogue with users of guide dogs and people with hearing impairment as well as topics such as accessible art, and training on preventing and dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace. Click on the link below to learn more.
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The Pilot Project of the Community Involvement Broadcasting Service (CIBS) is now open for application. The project aims to encourage plurality, diversity and social inclusion; cultivate mutual respect, social empathy and civic mindedness; inspire creativity, uniqueness and talent nurturing; and enhance community involvement. Funded by the Community Involvement Broadcasting Fund (CIBF), which is administered by RTHK, the project seeks to encourage community organisations or individuals to bid for resources for the production of radio programmes in line with the project’s goals, to be broadcast on RTHK’s digital channels. Please see below for more details on the first round of application.
1st Quarter | 2nd Quarter | |
Programme Theme: | Education; Art and Culture; Ethnic Minorities | Social services; Politics and current affairs; Ethnic minorities |
Broadcasting Date: | 2013/07/15 to 2013/10/13 | 2013/10/14 to 2014/01/12 |
Broadcasting Timeslot: | Everyday from 8 pm to 10 pm | Everyday from 8 pm to 10 pm |
Application deadline: | 2013/02/21 at 5:30 pm | 2013/02/21 at 5:30 pm |
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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.