On 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the United Nations called for efforts to end the global pandemic of violence against women that is present at every level of every society. Such violence is a manifestation of inequality between women and men, and a symptom of ongoing sex discrimination against females. At the EOC, the safety of women remains a concern for the Commission, which was raised at the 59th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva in October. In particular, sexual harassment remains prevalent across various sectors. The EOC calls on the Government and key stakeholders to work together to ensure that all women can work and learn in harassment-free environments. The EOC also urges all members of society to ensure that vulnerable groups of women, who are more at risk of harassment and discrimination, can access equal protection and are not further marginalised by characteristics such as their race, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Towards this goal, on 27 November 2014, the EOC announced the findings of the “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination – Questionnaire Survey for Foreign Domestic Workers”. Based on 981 completed questionnaires from Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers, the Survey revealed that 6.5% of the foreign domestic workers had allegedly been sexually harassed at the workplace or at a work-related event in the preceding 12 months. Common forms of sexual harassment experienced by the foreign domestic workers included oral/textual/electronic messages (44%), non-verbal sex cues (17%), hostile environment (17%) and physical contacts (14%). Convenor of the EOC’s Policy and Research Committee, Dr. John TSE Wing-ling, said, “As a modern and civilised city, Hong Kong must not tolerate any form of harassment and discrimination against foreign domestic workers. Certainly, our community cannot remain silent and inactive on this issue. We have a duty to protect the rights of foreign domestic workers by providing a safe and harassment-free work environment for them.”

Read the press release on the Questionnaire Survey for Foreign Domestic Workers
Read the EOC’s submission to the UN CEDAW Committee

Eliminating disability discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for people with disability, including those living with HIV/AIDS, is a core part of the EOC’s work. Each year, World AIDS Day and the International Day of Persons with Disability (IDPWD) are observed on 1 December and 3 December respectively. On these occasions, the EOC appeals to all members of our community to do their part to widen understanding and reject stereotypes about people living with HIV/AIDS and those with disability. The Commission will continue to fight for the right of everyone to enjoy equal opportunities in Hong Kong, irrespective of their disability.

The EOC has been working with various stakeholders towards our common goal of equality for all. Throughout the year, the EOC supports various community initiatives on this front. For example, on 22 November, Dr York CHOW, the EOC Chairperson, attended the opening ceremony of World Blind Union Asia Pacific Mid-Term Regional General Assembly 2014. On 30 November, Ms Garling Wong, Convenor of the EOC’s Community Participation and Publicity Committee, will represent the Commission at the Barrier-Free City Orienteering Competition, organised by The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation to promote accessibility for all. On the same day, Ms Shana Wong, Head of the EOC’s Corporate Communications and Training Unit, will attend the movie premiere organised by New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association in support of non-discrimination of people with mental illness. And on 5 December, Mr. Nelson Yip, Deputy Convener of the Policy and Research Committee of the EOC, will represent the EOC to join the Red and Silver Charity Dinner organised by the AIDS Concern to coincide with the week of World AIDS Day.

Furthermore, to promote understanding of accessibility issues and encourage action to enhance barrier-free access, the EOC will organize a free workshop, “Access for All”, on 10 December 2014, which will explore practical ways to implement accessible business as well as the practical application of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance in relation to this area.

See more information about the “Access for All” workshop
Barrier-Free Life: the EOC’s resource webpage on disability issues
Leaflet: The DDO and People with HIV/AIDS
UN Enable: IDPWD Page

Many employers, human resource practitioners or line managers may have received complaints from employees about discrimination and harassment in the workplace and wanted more resources on how to resolve those complaints properly while maintaining a cordial working relationship between the complainants and respondents. In recent years, more and more organizations have resolved disputes among employees in the workplace through mediation and found that it is an effective alternative mechanism. Successful mediation can help concerned parties achieve a “win-win” solution of their disputes through a combination of facilitative and solution-focused techniques. In light of this trend, the EO Club organised a workshop for its members on 20 November 2014 to introduce mediation, including the types of mediation, how to conduct mediation and basic skills of questioning, listening and negotiation. The event’s guest speaker was Professor Raymond HM Leung, who is the Founding President and Board Member of the Hong Kong Mediation Centre.
 

The EO Club is the Commission’s platform to work with businesses and organizations on enhancing their understanding of the anti-discrimination ordinances and implementing good management practices and equality standards in their work environment. Membership Privileges for the year 2014/2015 include one free course from the EOC’s Calendar Training Workshop, exclusive online training, networking opportunities, and priority and preferential rates for attending the EOC’s conferences and seminars. Please visit the EO Club’s page through the below link for more details and application forms.

More about the EO Club

Ensuring equal opportunities in education, particularly for ethnic minority students and children with special educational needs, is a priority work area for the Commission. To reiterate the EOC’s stance and to encourage the broadening of equal opportunity values in the education sector, the EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW, will be the Guest of Honour at the Graduation Ceremony of The University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Education on 4 December 2014 and deliver a speech on this topic. In addition, Dr. Chow will be a speaker in two sessions of the “Hong Kong Education Policy Roundtable Forum: Collaborating for Hong Kong Education Development”, organised by The Hong Kong Institute of Education on 12 December 2014. Dr Chow will speak on the EOC’s work to advance equality in education for ethnic minorities as well as in inclusive education.

More on the HKIEd Roundtable Forum
Leaflet: Education For All
The EOC’s Study on Equal Learning Opportunities for Students with Disabilities under the Integrated Education System

Hong Kong is an international city, with workers from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. While a diverse workforce can enhance creativity and innovation, it is critical for employers to provide a work environment that is free from inadvertent bias and discrimination. To facilitate an inclusive work culture, the EOC organised a workshop on enhancing cultural sensitivity at work on 25 November 2014. Participants, mainly composed of employers and human resource practitioners, joined the workshop to learn more about practicable steps, including in recruitment and human resource management, to promote diversity and inclusion in their respective organisations. The workshop also covered how the Race Discrimination Ordinance applies to employment-related situations. To foster the exchange of practical experiences, Caritas Youth and Community Service joined the session to share about different cultures and traditions as well as their experience in employing ethnic minorities. If you would like to participate in or arrange similar training sessions, please contact our Training team at 2016 2155.

See more information about the EOC’s Calendar Training