Issue 106

11 December 2014

平機會電子通訊

News From EOC

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中文版

1. The EOC Welcomes Passage of Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Bill 2014
   

The Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Bill 2014 was passed by the Legislative Council on 3 December and will be gazetted on 12 December. With the passage of the Bill, sexual harassment by customers against providers or prospective providers of goods, facilities or services – even if the act occurs on local ships and aircraft outside Hong Kong – will become unlawful. To highlight the significance of the legislative amendment, Dr. York CHOW, Chairperson of the EOC, published an op-ed article in the South China Morning Post and Ming Pao Daily respectively on 11 December. “This is a major step for the protection of everyone in Hong Kong against sexual harassment, and to fostering a safe and inclusive work environment for all. It is particularly relevant for women, who make up the majority of this city’s service and sales workers as well as complainants of sexual harassment as received by the Commission,” said Dr. CHOW.

The amendment in the Ordinance provides much-needed protection against sexual harassment, as evidenced in various studies conducted by the EOC. In May 2014, the EOC announced the findings of the “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination in Employment – Questionnaire Survey for Workers of Service Industries”, which showed that almost one-fifth of the responding service industry workers alleged to have been sexually harassed at work. Furthermore, in the findings of the “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination in Employment – Questionnaire Survey for Flight Attendants” released in February 2014, 27% of the responding flight attendants alleged that they had experienced sexual harassment while on duty in flight, with the most common – almost 60% – of the harassers being customers.

Dr. CHOW urged local enterprises to take necessary steps to address the issue. “Irrespective of their size, employers can take proactive measures to create a harassment-free work environment. The first step is to ensure that they have in place an equal opportunity workplace policy that spells out their zero tolerance of sexual harassment, which should be clearly communicated to all staff.” Dr. CHOW also advised companies to make use of external resources, such as the corporate policy framework on sexual harassment by the EOC in putting in place their policies. “It is important that employers take reasonably practicable steps to prevent all sexual harassment at work, particularly if they have been informed of its occurrence.”

Read the press release
Read the op-ed article in SCMP
Read the op-ed article in Ming Pao Daily (Only in Chinese)
Summary of Survey Findings: “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination in Employment – Questionnaire Survey for Workers of Service Industries”
Summary of Survey Findings: “Sexual Harassment and Discrimination in Employment – Questionnaire Survey for Flight Attendants”

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2. The EOC Calls for Equality for All on Human Rights Day
   

10 December was Human Rights Day, which celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each person, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, including the right to be free from discrimination.

The EOC Chairperson, Dr. York Chow, reiterated this call for equality for all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, at the Out on the Street: Asia summit, held on 9 December. Indeed, the EOC has been advocating for legal protection for LGBTI people in the public sphere, given our view that LGBTI rights are human rights. We also believe that ensuring equal opportunities for everyone, whatever their sexual orientation or gender identity, is a key success factor for Hong Kong’s future, both as an international city as well as a regional centre for business and financial services. For this reason, the EOC is proud to support the summit, held in Hong Kong for the second year in a row to bring together representatives of the financial and other sectors to discuss issues relating to LGBTI equality at work and in the marketplace. Dr. York Chow, the EOC Chairperson, was a speaker at the event’s opening. In his remarks, he applauded the financial sector for being at the forefront of implementing inclusive workplace policies, and urged business leaders to work across different sectors to vocally show support towards ensuring legal protection and recognition of LGBTI people.

Also fittingly, the Nobel Peace Prize 2014 was jointly received by Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi on Human Rights Day, in recognition of their work to promote the rights of children. In her acceptance speech, Malala noted that, “This award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those voiceless children who want change.” The right to education is a fundamental right of all children. The EOC supports Malala’s call for equality in education for all, including here in Hong Kong. We look forward to working with you towards this goal.

More about Out on the Street: Asia 2014
More about the Human Rights Day
Nobel Lecture by Malala Yousafzai, Oslo, 10 December 2014
Uniquely Me Facebook

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3. The EOC Supports International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2014
   

Each year, 3 December is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), and provides a timely occasion for us to look at our progress in mobilizing support for equal rights and dignity for all irrespective of disability. The theme of this year, “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology”, has been chosen to reflect the potential of information and communications technologies to improve the lives of people with disabilities, as well as to highlight the unequal access to technology, which means many are not able to benefit from its development. To show our support for this day, the EOC Chairperson, Dr. York Chow, attended the opening ceremony of the International Day of Disabled Persons celebration on 7 December, organised by the Hong Kong Joint Council of People with Disabilities, Labour and Welfare Bureau, Rehabilitation Advisory Committee, and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

More about the IDPD celebration

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4. The EOC Organises Events to Promote Racial Equality
   

Advancing racial equality in Hong Kong is a key priority for the EOC, and we participated in a number of events to advance this goal. On 7 December, the EOC organised a talk at Kowloon Mosque on the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords under the anti-discrimination ordinances, to address the obstacles faced by ethnic minorities in finding housing and other facilities. On 8 December, representatives of the EOC conducted a workshop on race discrimination awareness (in English with Hindi interpretation), in collaboration with Caritas Mok Cheung Sui Kun Community Centre, for ethnic minority participants. A representative from the EOC also participated in a panel at the “Conference on Minority Education: Assimilation and Integration”, organised by the US Consulate General on 10 December, to share our work and position on the issue of education for ethnic minority students, which is one of our strategic priority work areas. On 12 December, the EOC will hold a booth at the Multicultural Festival’s Variety Show of Delia Memorial School (Hip Wo). If you would like to organise a similar talk or workshop for your organisation, please contact the EOC’s Corporate Communications and Training Unit at 2511 8211.

Leaflet: Education For All
More about the Race Discrimination Ordinance
A World of Colours: the EOC’s Resource Webpage on Racial Equality

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5. HSBC Community Partnership Programme
   

Launched in 2012 in partnership with the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the HSBC Community Partnership Programme aims to inspire district-based community initiatives to foster a more inclusive society. It also aims to enhance cross-sector collaboration to address social needs of local districts and help NGOs and community organisations in Hong Kong build capacity. Under the programme, non-profit making community organisations can apply for HKD150,000 to HKD500,000 of funding for a one-off, district-based project beginning in the last quarter of 2014 and lasting up to nine months. The EOC is a supporting organisation of this initiative. The launch ceremony of this year’s programme was on 7 December, which was attended by Dr York Chow, the EOC Chairperson. For more information, please see the link below.

More details of the HSBC Community Partnership Programme

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6. “Shadows of the Past” Public Screening
   

To raise public awareness about mental illness and reduce prejudices and misunderstanding about persons in recovery from mental illness, the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (NLPRA) held a premiere screening of the award-winning Filipino movie, “Shadows of the Past” (Mga Anino ng Kahapon) on 30 November, which was attended by a representative of the EOC. The movie looks at a family’s journey and experience in dealing with schizophrenia. The Association has also lined up two public screenings in Mongkok (13 Dec 2014) and Tuen Mun (17 Jan 2015) respectively for the public to watch the movie. Please see below for more details.

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Visit our website or download the EOC mobile app to stay updated on the EOC’s work and positions, and to review our press releases, speeches, media interviews, 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.