中文版

  1. The EOC Extends Submission Deadline of the Discrimination Law Review
    EOC Chairperson Clarifies the Rationale and Potential Impact of Including Nationality, Citizenship, Residency and Related Status under the Race Discrimination Ordinance

In view of the strong interest of the public and related organisations in the Discrimination law Review (DLR), who need more time to prepare their feedback, the EOC announced on 6 October that the deadline for written submission on the DLR would be extended to 31 October 2014. Public can download the consultation documents, including the full document, the executive summary and the easy read guide, from the dedicated DLR website, and make written submission to the EOC via mail, facsimile and e-mail.

Meanwhile, given some community members’ confused perceptions surrounding the proposals of the DLR, notably the inclusion of nationality, citizenship, residency and related status under the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO), the EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW published an op-ed article in Ming Pao Daily on 14 October to clarify the rationale and potential impact of the proposals.

Dr Chow emphasized that the proposals are aimed at ensuring all people in Hong Kong – whether they are Hong Kong permanent residents, new arrivals from the Mainland or visitors from overseas – can enjoy equal protection under the law, rather than banning any particular word, or restricting the freedom of speech or expression, a right guaranteed under the Basic Law. He quoted examples of discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities while seeking a job or accessing services, such as opening bank accounts, owing to their nationality status, as well as harassment of foreign domestic workers due to their residency status, which underlined the need for amendment to the law. On the potential impact on the existing entitlements of Hong Kong residents, Dr Chow highlighted that the Basic Law provides that only permanent Hong Kong residents are eligible to vote, while welfare extended to Hong Kong residents only can be reasonably justified on the grounds of overall public interest or proper resource allocation.

Dr Chow also stressed the need to seek for systemic change in order to address current structural inequalities. Under the DLR, the EOC has put forward various proposals towards this end, such as shifting the burden of proof to the respondent once facts have been established from which discrimination can be inferred, instituting a duty to provide reasonable accommodation to people with disability and removing the exemption of Government from the RDO. Dr Chow urged the public to engage in objective, rational discussion of the proposals in charting a course for building an inclusive, discrimination-free society of Hong Kong.


Read the article (in Chinese)
Go to the Discrimination Law Review website

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  1. The EOC Invites Stakeholders to Join Public Forum on 13 November 2014

To enable stakeholders to better understand the work of the EOC and to share their feedback, the EOC will be staging a Public Forum on 13 November at the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Shek Mun Campus in Shatin. In addition to providing a brief report on the major initiatives of the EOC in the past year, the EOC will highlight the current status of its three major work priorities, namely: (1) learning Chinese as a second language by the ethnic minority students; (2) integrated education for students with special educational needs; and (3) age discrimination in employment.

Speakers of the Forum include Dr Catherine K. K. CHAN, Deputy Secretary for Education (Curriculum & Quality Assurance Branch) and Miss Hera CHUM, Principal Assistant Secretary (Special Education & Kindergarten Education) of the Education Bureau. Furthermore, Professor Randy CHIU, Director of the Centre for Human Resources Strategy and Development at the HKBU will also give a presentation on “Age Smart Management in Hong Kong”.

Invitation to the Forum has been extended to stakeholders of the EOC. For registration, stakeholders can send the completed enrolment form to EOC on or before 29 October.

Date: Thursday, 13 November 2014
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Venue: Hong Kong Baptist University (Shek Mun Campus)
1/F, Auditorium, 8 On Muk Street, Shek Mun, Shatin, NT (near Shek Mun MTR)
Language: Cantonese (with simultaneous interpretation in English and sign language interpretation in Cantonese)
(Other accessible devices or services available upon request)


Details and registration

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  1. The EOC Participates in the 59th Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

The 59th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Committee) is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 20 October to 7 November 2014. During the session, the Committee will conduct a hearing on the Third Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which is submitted as part of China’s combined seventh and eighth reports.

To facilitate the Committee’s consideration of the Report, the EOC made a submission to the Committee in September 2014 to share its views and concerns about the gender inequality issues in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the Commission has arranged for EOC Board Member Ms Su-Mei THOMPSON and Director (Planning and Administration) Mr Michael CHAN to participate in the session. Ms THOMPSON will be giving a statement to the Committee during its informal meeting with the human rights institutions on 20 October to highlight the EOC’s position. Apart from joining the hearing session, the opportunity will also be taken to meet NGOs and related organisations and exchange views on advancing gender equality in Hong Kong.


Read the EOC’s Submission to the UN Committee

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  1. Web Accessibility Award 2015 – Call for Entries

The Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme co-organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the EOC is now open for entries. Now in its third year, the Scheme serves to commend enterprises and organisations for making their websites and mobile apps accessible to everyone, particularly persons with disabilities and special needs. In 2014, more than 160 websites and mobile apps were recognised, nearly doubling the number of websites awarded in 2013, reflecting the community's increasing commitment to drive web accessibility.

From now until December 31, local enterprises and organisations, including companies, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions and public sector organisations, are welcome to submit their applications. Participating organisations will be given free assessment, training and advisory services to enhance the accessibility of their websites and mobile apps. Websites and mobile apps meeting the prescribed accreditation criteria will be given gold or silver awards and can display the award logo as recognition for their outstanding achievement in adopting barrier-free designs and contributing to a caring and inclusive society. In addition, there will be an online voting in March 2015 for the Most Favourite Websites and Mobile Apps among the Gold Awardees. The awards presentation ceremony will be held in April 2015.

To inform interested organisations and developers on the details of the scheme and the web accessibility requirements, a briefing session will be held on 24 October, with details as follows:

Date: 24 October 2014 (Friday)
Time: 2:30 – 5:30 pm
Venue: Conference Hall, Central Government Offices,
2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar
Language: Cantonese with English terminology

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  1. Release of Findings of Mental Health Index Survey

The EOC has been a staunch supporter of the Mental Health Month held in October each year, which is sponsored by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and supported by a number of government departments, public organisations and non-governmental organisations to publicise the importance of mental health, and to raise awareness, knowledge and acceptance of people with mental health issues.

On 14 October, the Mental Health Month Organising Committee released the findings of the Mental Health Index Survey, which investigated the mental well-being of people in Hong Kong. Among the 1,500 respondents interviewed, approximately one-third (33%) scored lower than 50 in the Mental Health Index, reflecting a higher proportion of at-risk mental health when compared with the percentage (25%) in 2013. In addition, the mean score of respondents’ mental health index stood at 55.93, as compared to 59.72 in 2013, reflecting a drop in overall mental health. The Working Group recommended the provision of mental health education early in school to equip young people with stress-coping and management skills. As for the workplace, employees are advised to provide proper staff training to enhance team-building and interpersonal skills.

The EOC has been calling for enhancement to Hong Kong’s mental health policy and services, its most recent effort included making a submission to the Legislative Council Panel on Health Services in June 2014. As well as urging the Government to map out a comprehensive and long-term Mental Health Policy to promote and improve the mental health of the people of Hong Kong as a whole, the EOC called on the Government to consider setting up a high-powered and broad-based Mental Health Commission, to proactively co-ordinate and monitor the formulation and implementation of both policies and action plans related to mental health services.


 
News reports on the Mental Health Index Survey
Read the EOC submission to the LegCo Panel on Health
 

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  1. The EOC Participates in Award Presentation Ceremony of “Home-school Co-operation in Building an Inclusive School Culture” Award Scheme

The EOC has been advocating for enhanced support to students with special educational needs (SEN) and the importance of fostering an inclusive school culture. As part of its effort, the EOC has joined the Education Bureau, as well as the Subsidised Primary Schools Council, the Union of Government Primary School Headmasters and Headmistresses, the Hong Kong Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, the Association of Principals of Government Secondary Schools, the Hong Kong Special Schools Council and the Committee on Home-School Co-operation in co-organising the “Home-school Co-operation in Building an Inclusive School Culture” Award Scheme.

Designed to promote an inclusive school culture through the commendation of families which provide appropriate support for their children with SEN, as well as families and parent teams which actively support schools in implementing inclusive policies and practices, the Award Scheme was rolled out last November. On 27 September, an award presentation ceremony was held to commend more than 100 families or parent teams for their efforts. The EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW was one of the officiating guests at the ceremony.


More about the Award Scheme

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  1. Postponement of the SCMP’s Women of Our Time Conference

The second running of the Women of Our Time Conference organised by South China Morning Post has been postponed to 28 October 2014. Featuring some of the most inspiring and successful women in different fields, the Conference is designed to inspire, inform and instruct. Apart from sharing and insights by women trailblazers, the programme includes panel discussion on uncovering the attributes of women leaders and release of the results of the Women of Our Time Mobility Survey.  The EOC is a supporting organisation of this conference, and Dr. York CHOW, the EOC Chairperson, will be the event’s Guest of Honour.

Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Venue: JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
Language: English

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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.