Members of the EOC met on 18 December 2014 at the 108th EOC Meeting and discussed various matters related to the Commission’s business. The Chairperson of the EOC, Dr. York CHOW, reported on the progress of various major work items undertaken by the Commission. Among these is the EOC Forum conducted on 13 November, which attracted over 390 participants, 30% more than in 2013. As shown from the questionnaires returned, 82% considered that the Forum could enhance communication between the EOC and stakeholders, and 90% supported the EOC to hold similar forums in the future.

On the Discrimination Law Review public consultation, Dr. CHOW reported that the EOC has received some 122,000 submissions from the public, and is in the process of inputting the responses before further analysing the views and feedback. The EOC is aiming to publish a report and submitting the Commission’s recommendations to the Government in the second half of 2015. Meanwhile, in view of the implementation of the Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Ordinance since 12 December, which protects providers of goods, facilities and services from sexual harassment by customers, the EOC has stepped up its public education and publicity efforts to enhance the community’s awareness and understanding of the legislative provisions.

Read the press release

The United Nations has designated 18 December of every year as the International Migrants Day, which provides an opportune moment to remember and celebrate the positive role played around the world by different types of migrants. In Hong Kong, the most visible example of this is the very valuable contributions made by foreign domestic workers. Despite this important role, many foreign domestic workers face significant barriers and injustice in their daily life. Late last month, the EOC released the findings of the first questionnaire survey for foreign domestic workers on the sexual harassment and discrimination they face at work, which found that 6.5 percent of respondents had faced sexual harassment in their job over the last 12 months. To draw attention to this issue, the EOC Chairperson, Dr York CHOW, published an op-ed article in the South China Morning Post and Ming Pao Daily respectively on 18 December to appeal for equal protection and rights of foreign domestic workers. “Everyone has a right to be safe and free from harassment in their work environment. As a city that prides itself on being modern and cosmopolitan, Hong Kong must do better to safeguard the rights of all, including foreign domestic workers, and ensure that they can also enjoy fair treatment,” wrote Dr. CHOW.

Read the op-ed article in SCMP
Read the op-ed article in Ming Pao (only in Chinese)
Read the press release on the questionnaire survey for foreign domestic workers
More about International Migrants Day

The EOC has been bestowed with the Social Capital Builders Award by the Labour and Welfare Bureau for its participation in the Ethnic Minority Mentorship Programme organized by Lok Sin Tong, as part of the Commission’s staff volunteer services. The award programme, which is funded by the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF), serves to accord recognition to individuals and enterprises for building the social capital of Hong Kong, that is, pooling the resources of individuals and cross-sectoral collaborations to form a social network of reciprocity, thereby creating a society with mutual trust and help, appreciation, solidarity and human touch. The EOC is honoured to receive the award, and will continue to encourage staff members to play an active part in volunteering, putting our mission of “creating an inclusive society for all” into action.

More about the Social Capital Builders Award

The Funding Programme of Research Projects on Equal Opportunities is an EOC scheme which aims at encouraging eligible academia and organizations with inspiring ideas to undertake innovative research projects. In 2013/14, a total of 11 applications were selected for funding under the programme. On 17 December, one of the funded organisations, Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association, announced the findings of its survey on sexual harassment against supermarket promoters. Conducted among 482 promoters across 32 supermarket stores in Hong Kong, the survey results showed that over 80% of the promoters alleged that they had been sexually harassed while at work. Among the most common forms of sexual harassment acts were “saying sexual jokes”, “making comments on the appearance and figure of the promoters”, and “bumping into the promoters on purpose”. However, only a meagre few (less than 0.1%) followed up with their employers, as many of them were employed on a part-time basis by promoting companies rather than the supermarkets, and worked in different locations or stores from time to time. The instability and mobility of employment, together with the lack of policy on sexual harassment of the promoting companies, as well as inadequacy in the existing legislation, have caused the promoters to take no action against sexual harassment. Under the existing Sex Discrimination Ordinance, a person is protected from sexual harassment by his/her fellow employees, but not by workers employed by different employers, even if they work in a common workplace. The EOC has put forward the suggestion to extend the protection against sexual harassment by workers in a common workplace as part of the Discrimination Law Review, a suggestion strongly supported by the Association.

Read the press release and report on the survey (in Chinese only)
More on the Funding Programme of Research Projects on Equal Opportunities

In September 2014, the EOC announced the findings of the Study on Discrimination in the Hong Kong Workplace, which looked at the types and extent of workplace discrimination and explored ways to address these problems. The results were sobering: nearly one in five respondents (18%) reported having experienced some forms of discrimination or harassment while seeking a job or at work. The most common form of workplace discrimination reported was age discrimination, followed by gender discrimination. To widen awareness on this important topic as well as to provide useful information to employers and human resource practitioners, the EOC contributed the cover story to Human Resources magazine’s December 2014 issue. In the article, the EOC urged readers to take concrete action to tackle this concern: “Discrimination at work is a real and under-discussed issue in Hong Kong that affects a company’s organisational effectiveness, staff productivity and bottom line. By proactively and pre-emptively addressing the issue, employers and HR professionals can protect themselves from legal liabilities and benefit from the positive business impact of inclusive policies.”

Read the article

A delegation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), Mainland China and the Macau Special Administrative Region arrived in Hong Kong for a seminar-cum-field study programme on 17-19 December. Comprising some 60 representatives from 10 member states, the delegation was here for the South-South Cooperation Programme on Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. During their 3-day visit, participants joined in meetings and seminars with senior Government officials, as well as field visits to public transportation, housing, recreational and other facilities to learn more about Hong Kong’s policies and measures to enhance accessibility for persons with disabilities. Dr. York CHOW, Chairperson of the EOC, met with the delegation and introduced to participants the Commission’s work in regard to accessibility. The EOC has been advocating disability-friendly policies by both public and private sectors so as to promote social inclusion of people with disabilities. We believe that every person, including people with disabilities, have equal rights to be part of the society.

Read the Government’s release on the visit

On 17-21 December 2014, the International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing Grand Prix 2014 took place in Hong Kong. Organised by the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled, this event featured international wheelchair fencers from around the world. Dr. York CHOW, the EOC Chairperson, attended the Farewell Dinner cum Prize Presentation Ceremony on 21 December 2014 and delivered prizes to the winning contestants, to show the EOC’s support. The Commission is committed to ensuring equal participation in everyday life, including in sporting activities, irrespective of one’s disability, and is proud to support Hong Kong’s paralympians and athletes with disability in their various competitions and athletic endeavours.

More about the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled