How well do people in Hong Kong know about the concept of “equal opportunities” and the work of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)? What issues related to equal opportunities concern them the most? To find out the answers, the EOC commissioned the Equal Opportunities Awareness Survey in 2015. It was the fifth such survey carried out by the EOC since its set-up in 1996. Altogether, 1,500 members of the general public and 213 users of EOC services were interviewed by phone and invited to complete a questionnaire respectively.

The EOC held a press conference on 18 July 2016 to announce the findings of the survey. It was revealed that awareness of the EOC has continued to increase since the first Equal Opportunities Awareness Survey was conducted in 1998, with the level of awareness rising from 87% in 1998 to 98% in 2015. Both the public and EOC service users were generally found to hold a positive attitude towards the EOC and support the elimination of discrimination.

Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming, the EOC’s Chairperson, reiterated the stance of the EOC at the press conference – that the organisation is fully committed to giving voice to the underprivileged and to advocating for the introduction of new legislation and reform of existing ordinances in response to social progress and changing social expectations.

“As a statutory body that provides services to the public, the EOC places great importance on accountability to Hong Kong society. This survey allows the Commission to better comprehend our progress in advancing equal opportunities for all, so as to enable continuous improvement.” Prof. Chan said. “The information also gives the EOC an evidence-based platform to keep up our advocacy and overall work as the Commission focuses its efforts on mainstreaming equal opportunity values into everyday life and policy-making in the next few years.”

Read the press release
Read the full report
News highlights

Hong Kong is a melting pot where people from a diversity of backgrounds converge. It is commonplace for people of different races to mingle in everyday life, including in schools. As there is greater awareness of the need for equal educational opportunities for ethnic minority students, the EOC is stepping up its effort to promote cultural and racial inclusion on school campuses. A recent initiative in this area is the “Promotion of Racial Integration and Prevention of Racial Discrimination in Schools” e-booklet, which outlines the principles of racial equality and the application of the Race Discrimination Ordinance in educational establishments, providing reference and guidance to school workers, students and parents. Indeed, the EOC is hoping to instil the values in children, who hold the future of our society, and in working and trainee teachers. Through educating them on the importance of respect for all, we can hope to build a more open, caring and inclusive society.

Read the e-booklet
More about the Race Discrimination Ordinance

In the last issue we mentioned that the Community Participation Funding Programme 2016/17 (2nd batch) is open for applications from now until 12 September 2016. To provide those interested in applying for funding with more information, such as the application requirements, the EOC is going to organise two briefing sessions on the programme, one conducted in Cantonese and the other in English, on 15 August 2016. We cordially invite all potential applicants to attend the briefing sessions.

Enrolment form for the briefing
About the funding programme

A proverb goes: “If you light a lamp for someone it will also brighten your own path.” Mentoring is a rewarding experience for both mentees and mentors. To give work exposure to youths and help them find their calling, the Commission on Poverty rolled out the “Life Buddies” Mentoring Scheme in October 2015. Under the scheme, private and public organisations are encouraged to send teams of mentors to schools or invite students to experience their workplace during summer.

The EOC is very pleased to join 73 other organisations to support the meaningful initiative this year. Our take on the scheme is a two-day “Job Tasting” programme (21 to 22 July 2016) for 10 students from Yan Chai Hospital No. 2 Secondary School. The participating students have a taste of not just what it is like to work at the EOC, but also the importance of the organisation’s core values to Hong Kong.

 Learn more about the “Life Buddies” Mentoring Scheme