20 March 2013
Issue 73
20 March 2013
Issue 73
In commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on 21 March, Caritas Youth and Community Service and the EOC co-organized an open forum on Sunday 17 March 2013, in the Mongkok Pedestrian Zone. The event aimed to raise public awareness on racial discrimination and voice out social problems encountered by ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. The open forum featured a number of speakers including: Mr. LAM Woon-kwong, EOC Chairperson; Mr. CHAN Lo-kin, Social Work Supervisor of Social Service for Ethnic Minorities, Caritas; Dr. Raees BAIG, Lecturer of The University of Hong Kong; Mr. Vivek MAHBUBANI, English/Chinese comedian; and Mr. Chura THAPA, host of RTHK’s Saptahik Sandesh Radio Programme and PhD student. “It is time for us to come together and recognize that, irrespective of our race, all of us consider this city our home,” said Mr. Lam.
To advance public understanding of the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO) and promote racial equality, the EOC will place newspaper supplements in the South China Morning Post, the Standard and Sky Post tomorrow (21 March 2013) to call on the society to do better to foster an environment where everyone, regardless of their ethnic background, can compete on an equal footing.
News coverage (in Chinese only)
Read the press release
Watch the episode of the EOC’s docu-drama on RTHK on the subject of education for ethnic minorities
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On 18 March 2013, the EOC issued legal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 480) and Disability Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 487) in the District Court on behalf of a female clerical employee who alleged that she was discriminated against by her former employer on the ground of her pregnancy and disability. The EOC has granted legal assistance in this case on the basis that pregnant women and employees taking sick leave for medical treatment are often targets of dismissal. By taking this case to court, the EOC hopes to remind employers regarding the legal protection against pregnancy discrimination and disability discrimination in employment, as well as their duty to provide reasonable accommodation to their pregnant staff and staff with disabilities.
Read the press release
Learn more about Hong Kong’s protection from pregnancy discrimination in employment
Learn more about Hong Kong’s protection from disability discrimination in employment
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Learning Chinese is one of the major barriers ethnic minorities face in education. Without mastery of Cantonese and Chinese, ethnic minorities can be deprived of equal opportunities in education, employment and participation in society. Hong Kong Unison and Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union are co-organizing a conference on 23 March 2013 (Saturday), entitled “Conference on Teaching Chinese as a Second Language to Ethnic Minority Students,” with the aim of bringing together different parties to explore how to drive forward the development of Chinese language education for ethnic minority students. The conference will feature sharing from a wide range of stakeholders including the Education Bureau, designated schools, academia, and the Legislative Council. Dr. John TSE Wing-ling, the Convenor of the EOC’s Policy and Research Committee, will also share on behalf of the Commission on our work to promote equal education opportunity for ethnic minorities.
| Date: | March 23, 2013 (Saturday) |
| Time: | 9:30am-1:00pm |
| Venue: | HKPTU headquarters (7/F, Chung Kiu Commercial Bldg., 51 Shantung Street, MongKok) |
| Language: | Cantonese (with simultaneous translation to English by volunteers) |
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Tomorrow is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), which provides an opportune moment for all of us to remember the importance of inclusion of people with Down syndrome and to safeguard their human dignity. The EOC calls on the community to show greater understanding and awareness about people with Down syndrome and to help ensure that they can have equal access to participate in all aspects of life. On 10 March 2013, the RTHK radio1 show, “Care for People with Disability,” featured an episode on people with Down syndrome. The hosts interviewed social workers from the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association as well as people with Down syndrome who shared their life experiences.
Listen to the RTHK radio episode on Down syndrome (in Cantonese only)
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To engage Hong Kong’s youths to reject stereotypes, the EOC is launching the “Uniquely Me! Youth Photo and Slogan Competition”. Young people, as individuals or as teams, are invited to send the EOC a photo of themselves with their own answer to why they are unique for a chance to win prizes including an iPad Mini. The application deadline is 16 June 2013. Click on the links below for more information!
Uniquely Me! is one of the EOC’s youth initiatives targeted at English-speaking young people. Launched in 2010, the programme aims to provide a platform for youths to get inspired to overcome barriers, gain a new perspective on social issues, and share thoughts on how to break stereotypes in a fun and interactive way.
Details and online application
Find Uniquely Me! on Facebook
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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.