The EOC welcomes the gazettal of the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020 on 19 June 2020, following the passage of the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2018 by the Legislative Council on 11 June 2020. The Ordinance came into force on 19 June 2020, with the exception of the breastfeeding-related provisions which would come into force on 19 June 2021. 

Implementing eight of the recommendations the EOC made to the Government in its 2016 Discrimination Law Review report, the Ordinance enhances protection from discrimination and harassment under Hong Kong’s anti-discrimination laws, namely the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO), Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO), Family Status Discrimination Ordinance (FSDO) and Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO). The amendments include:

In an article published in Stand News, Inmedia and Hong Kong Economic Journal, EOC Chairperson, Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin wrote, “I am heartened to see that lawmakers across the aisle have come together to stand behind a genuinely good cause, offering stronger legal safeguards for the fundamental rights of vulnerable communities and society at large. But this is only the beginning of much-needed change – the report we submitted to the Government back in 2016 prioritised as many as 27 recommendations, 19 of which have yet to be adopted. The EOC will continue to lobby our stakeholders, work closely with the legislature and the Government, and strive for progress that defines what Hong Kong should be: diverse, inclusive, and free from injustices.”

Although Hong Kong’s ethnic minority youth have higher aspirations for their education and career than their Chinese counterparts, employers generally agree that job applicants are still being screened on the basis of race, according to a new study released by the EOC on 22 June 2020.
 

Entitled “Education and Career Pathways of Ethnic Minority Youth in Hong Kong”, the study was commissioned to and conducted by the Centre for Youth Research and Practice at the Hong Kong Baptist University, with the aim of identifying effective policies for strengthening institutional support for young people from ethnic minority backgrounds transitioning to post-secondary education or employment.

Adopting a mixed-method approach, the study was comprised of a survey of 909 F.4-6 students of Pakistani, Nepalese, Indian, Filipino and Chinese backgrounds, focus groups and individual interviews with ethnic minority youth, interviews with their parents, teachers and social workers, as well as a survey of 406 employers (341 SMEs and 65 large enterprises) and interviews with 10 employers.

It was found that despite having a stronger belief in their ability to attain their educational and career goals than ethnic Chinese students, ethnic minority students face entrenched and structural barriers in pursuing those goals, such as struggles with learning Chinese, unequal access to information such as job adverts, and unconscious bias among employers. The uneven playing field has helped to perpetuate the socio-economic disadvantage of ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong. 

The study makes a host of recommendations to create a more equitable environment for ethnic minority youth to develop and realise their potential.These include stepping up pedagogical support for kindergarten teachers, tailor-making a Chinese language curriculum for ethnic minority students at different levels, establishing a job-matching platform in multiple languages and introducing incentive schemes for employers to hire EMs, among others. The research team has also worked with the EOC to develop a practical guidebook for ethnic minority youth seeking to explore their options and finding the support they need. Click the links below to find out more.
 

The deadline for application to the 2020-21 edition of the Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme has been extended to 21 August 2020. Organised by the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited and co-organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the scheme seeks to promote digital inclusion for people with disabilities (PWDs) by giving out Gold Awards, Silver Awards and “Friendly Website / Mobile App ” designations to organisations, depending on the number of accessibility criteria met by their websites or mobile apps.

As an independent advisor of the scheme, the EOC encourages organisations in all sectors to apply. Our goal of enhancing social participation of PWDs would not be possible without your commitment to building an inclusive environment, and that includes ensuring that PWDs can enjoy the benefits of technology on an equal basis with others. Click the link below to find out how you can be part of this effort.

On 11 June 2020, our Corporate Communications Manager, Ms Dorothy SAM went on air at RTHK Radio 2 with Ms Jacy CHAN and Ms Kaeru CHAN, Chairperson and Committee Member of Hong Kong Breastfeeding Mothers’ Association (HKBFMA) respectively, to talk about the lingering stigma around breastfeeding in the city, ways to foster a breastfeeding-friendly culture, and the evolving legal protections for breastfeeding women in Hong Kong.

The episode was part of a partnership initiative between the EOC and RTHK Radio 2 called the “Equal Opportunities Diversity Project”, a year-long programme consisting of interviews and promotional segments designed to promulgate the value of inclusion and raise awareness of the challenges facing different marginalised communities.