On 21 March 2018, the EOC organised a seminar entitled “Corporate Role in Promoting Racial Diversity” to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with the support of HSBC. Over 100 representatives from multinational corporations, SMEs, social enterprises and NGOs turned up to hear insights into how diversity could drive business growth and what practices could be implemented to better engage ethnic minorities in the workplace. Moderated by SCMP’s Chief News Editor, Mr Yonden LHATOO and former legislator Ms Margaret NG, the multi-sector panels featured senior management from HSBC, Arup Group Limited, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, PCCW, Fairwood Holdings Limited and Towngas.

The consensus was clear – beyond a matter of corporate social responsibility, hiring and grooming ethnic minorities makes business sense, not least because they could bring innovative perspectives to the table with their diverse cultural backgrounds and enable the company to open up and serve different markets. The panelists also encouraged companies to conduct cultural sensitivity training for their Chinese-speaking staff and introduce “buddy programmes”, both of which would help facilitate mutual understanding, boost morale and raise productivity.
 
As pointed out by the seminar’s keynote speaker, Dr LAW Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chinese proficiency remains a daunting obstacle facing ethnic minoirites seeking gainful employment in Hong Kong. While strengthening support for language learning and eliminating discrimination in admission policy is an ongoing challenge for the education sector, businesses should also do their part by reviewing whether the Chinese language requirements for the positions they are recruiting are inherently essential to the job.

Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming, Chairperson of the EOC said, “Improving the employability and livelihood of ethnic minorities is both the moral thing to do and an apt answer to Hong Kong’s aging population and shrinking workforce, which is a real, impending issue. Following the enthusiasm at this seminar, we hope that the private sector at large will keep the dialogue going and put ideas into action.”

Read the press release
Read the Code of Practice on Employment under the Race Discrimination Ordinance
Promote inclusion in the workplace with our Good Management Practices Series

Few institutions wield as much influence as the “Fourth Estate”, and in this age of information explosion, the media are often tempted to resort to sensationalism in their quest for readership and the ultimate viral story.  But what if such dramatisation comes at the expense of stigmatising marginalised groups?

In an article published in Hong Kong Economic Journal on 21 March 2018, Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming, Chairperson of the EOC took issue with exaggerated and derogatory portraits of persons inflicted with mental illnesses in the local media, from click-bait headlines such as “Watch out! Mad men on the loose” (小心，癲人出沒) to reports that magnify the gory details of a murder case. Not only do they draw an ungrounded link between violence and mental illness, they also instigate unnecessary panic and reinforce ingrained prejudices. The result is a continued misunderstanding among the public that makes it all the more harder for persons with mental illnesses to open up, receive the support they need and reintegrate into society.

Under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance, vilification against a person with a disability – a person with mental illness, for instance – is unlawful. Although the threshold for establishing vilification is high (it is defined strictly as a public activity that incites hatred, serious contempt or severe ridicule), the EOC urges members of the press to be alert to the legal risks and, better yet, incorporate perspectives of former and current patients, self-help groups and professionals into their stories and live up to its role of enlightening the public and empowering the vulnerable, instead of the other way round.

Read Prof Chan’s article in Hong Kong Economic Journal (Chinese only)
Learn more about vilification and the Disability Discrimination Ordinance

The Social Welfare Department is now inviting employers of persons with disabilities (PWDs) to submit applications for its Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities (SPED) until 20 April.

Launched in June 2013, the SPED provides a one-off subsidy for employers to procure assistive devices or carry out workplace modifications for each employee with disabilities. Covering a wide range of accommodating equipment – from optical magnifiers to hearing aids,  Braille products and handrails, the programme aims to support PWDs in performing their duties and enhance their work efficiency.

The subsidy is capped at a maximum of $20,000 for each employee with disabilities. Starting from 2014-15, a grant of up to $40,000 may be considered for eligible cases where the cost of a single assistive device and its essential accessories exceeds $20,000.

Apply now
Find out more about the programme
Check out our “Easy Read Guide to the Code of Practice on Employment under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance”

The Department of Social Work at Hong Kong Baptist University and the Gender Justice Ministry of the Hong Kong Christian Council will co-organise an interactive drama workshop about the adversities confronting intersex people and their family members on 21 April (Sat), from 2pm – 6:30pm in Tsim Sha Tsui. Through “applied theatre” – the use of drama to educate the public and connect communities – audiences will embark on an immersive journey through the often troubled life of intersex people, confined by the gender binary that defines much of our society today.

The workshop will be conducted in Cantonese.

Sign up for the drama workshop
Visit the event's Facebook page
Read the EOC’s Study on Legislation against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status