中文版

  1. The EOC Gives Legal Assistance in Pregnancy Discrimination Case

Picture of pregnant woman at work

On 26 November 2015, the EOC issued legal proceedings under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (Cap. 480) in the District Court on behalf of a woman (the Claimant) who previously worked for a company (the Respondent) as a beautician. The Claimant alleged that she was discriminated on the ground of her pregnancy by the Respondent, who dismissed her shortly after she had informed the Respondent about her pregnancy.

Working pregnant women continue to face frequent discrimination in Hong Kong. By taking this case to court, the EOC hopes to raise public awareness of the rights of pregnant women under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, and remind employers that it is illegal to take adverse action against an employee because of her pregnancy.


Read the press release

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  1. The EOC Organises Public Forum to Enhance Communication with Stakeholders

Group Photo at EOC Forum 2015

On 24 November 2015, the EOC organised a Public Forum to solicit stakeholders’ views and foster better understanding of the public about the EOC’s work. For the fourth year running, the Public Forum continued to provide a valuable platform for stakeholders to share their views on ways of enhancing the Commission’s work on promoting equal opportunities in Hong Kong. This year’s forum was attended by almost 240 participants from a wide variety of sectors, including NGOs, concern groups, consular corps, business organisations, Government departments, educational institutes, employers’ organisations and unions.

The first part of the Forum featured a presentation from Dr. York CHOW, the EOC Chairperson, on the work progress of the priority work areas of the EOC in the previous year. These included: conducting the discrimination law review; seeking legal protection for sexual minorities from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status; advocating equal education and employment opportunities for ethnic minorities; promoting integrated education for students with special educational needs; and urging the adoption of an updated and unified definition of disability in the performance of Government functions; as well as the continuous implementation of the anti-sexual harassment campaign. Dr. Chow was also joined by the Convenors and representatives of the four Committees under the EOC to answer questions from the floor participants.

The second part of the Forum was dedicated to the special theme of this year’s forum – the education and employment challenges of ethnic minorities (EM). The EOC arranged for presentation on the approach and work of the Commission’s Ethnic Minorities Unit, and representatives from the Government and the private sector to share their views and initiatives. On education, Mr. Sheridan LEE, Principal Education Officer (Curriculum Development) from the Education Bureau, reported on the progress of the Bureau’s effort to enhance Chinese learning and teaching of non-Chinese speaking students. On employment, Ms Catherine LAW, Senior Labour Officer (Employment Services) (Policy) from the Labour Department and Ms Eunice CHAN, Assistant Secretary (Appointment) from the Civil Service Bureau highlighted the support for EM and employment of EM in the civil service respectively. In addition, Ms Ivy Poon, Regional Manager – Training and Development of Pacific Coffee Company, shared the company’s experiences of promoting culturally diverse workplace, while Mr. Hans LI, Senior Manager (Business Support Services) from the Hospital Authority talked about the support for EM provided by the Hospital Authority. The Forum drew enthusiastic response and feedback, as participants eagerly shared their views and suggestions on measures to address the challenges faced by the EM.


Read the press release
Read the speech by EOC Chairperson

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  1. The EOC Raises Awareness on Protection from Sexual Harassment

Screen cap of EOC’s New TV API entitled “Fight Sexual Harassment: Speak Out!”

The United Nations has designated 25 November of every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which provides a platform for action to end gender-based violence. This year, the United Nations is organising the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” global campaign from 25 November to 10 December (International Human Rights Day), with the aim of galvanising action on ending violence against women and girls around the world.

Among the various forms of gender-based violence is sexual harassment. Over the last 10 years, 95% of the victims of sexual harassment complaints handled by the EOC were female. Through the years, the EOC has launched a number of initiatives to combat sexual harassment across various sectors in Hong Kong. Indeed, sexual harassment is one of the EOC’s strategic priority work areas. Since 2013, the EOC has stepped up its efforts to promulgate the importance of preventing sexual harassment in the employment, education, sports and service sector, and provide relevant stakeholders with the necessary skills and knowledge to articulate anti-sexual harassment policies and deal with complaints. These included organising a series of seminars and workshops; creating a “Framework on Corporate and School Policies on Sexual Harassment”; creating a dedicated resource page on the EOC website; and publishing new information leaflets for the general public on various aspects of sexual harassment legal protection, which are available in Chinese and English as well as six ethnic minority languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepalese, Tagalog, Thai, and Urdu).

Additionally, from 27 November 2015, new TV and radio APIs (Announcement of Public Interest) on the enhanced protection from sexual harassment under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance can be seen on various channels of six TV stations, including ATV, TVB, TVB Network Vision, Cable TV, Now Broadband TV and RTHK (DTT), as well as various channels of three radio stations, namely RTHK, Commercial Radio and Metro Broadcast. Highlighting the protection for service providers – both male and female – from against sexual harassment by customers in the course of service provision, the APIs entitled “Fight Sexual Harassment: Speak out!” are available in Cantonese, English, and Putonghua, and are also available for public viewing on the EOC website and EOC YouTube Channel.


Watch/Listen to the APIs
The EOC’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Resource webpage
More about the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

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  1. The EOC Outreaches to Businesses at HKTDC’s World SME Expo

Display Panel (1) of EOC at World SME Expo

In order to promote understanding on the advantages of fostering an inclusive workplace to small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EOC will for another year participate and hold a booth at the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council’s World SME Expo, which will be held on 3-5 December 2015 at Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre. On top of distributing publications and leaflets, staff will be stationed to answer questions from the public. Come visit us at booth 1E-A10 to learn more about how to encourage a discrimination-free workplace.

Date: 3-5 December 2015 (Thu – Sat)
Time: 3-4 December: 9:30am – 7:00pm
5 December: 9:30am – 6:30pm
Venue: Booth 1E-A10, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
*Free admissions
   Banner of World SME Expo


More about the SME Expo

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  1. The EOC Supports World AIDS Day and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Visual of World AIDS Day

Eliminating disability discrimination and ensuring that people with disabilities, including those living with HIV/AIDS, can enjoy equal opportunities remain vital parts of the EOC’s work. Each year, the World AIDS Day is observed on 1 December, while 3 December is observed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). They provide a timely occasion for us to look at our progress in mobilising support for equal rights and dignity for all irrespective of disability. On this occasion, the EOC calls upon Hong Kong society to eliminate stigma and stereotypes about those living with HIV/AIDS and with other disabilities. We reiterate our commitment to fostering an inclusive society where no one will face barriers to equal opportunities because of their disability.

Visual of International Day of Persons with Disabilities The theme of this year’s IDPD, “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities,” has been chosen to highlight the need to enable equal participation for people with disabilities in various aspects of daily life, including in employment, education, and social and political affairs. The EOC strongly supports the equal participation of all people with disabilities. Earlier this month, the EOC called on the Government, the relevant Government  departments and frontline  workers  to take
active measures so as to enable voters with disabilities to exercise their equal voting rights in the District Council election on 22 November.


More about World AIDS Day
More about the IDPD
The EOC’s statement on ensuring equal voting rights in the District Council election
Leaflet: The DDO and People with HIV/AIDS

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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.