To mark the 2021 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD), the EOC will be joining hands with Caritas Hong Kong to host an online forum entitled “Looking Beyond the Pandemic” on 21 March (Sunday), from 2:30pm-3:30pm.

COVID-19 has proven to be much more than a public health crisis. From inadequate access to information during the onset of the contagion to reports of discriminatory treatment by employers and stigmatising newspaper headlines, non-Chinese communities in Hong Kong have borne the brunt of many forms of prejudice and injustice induced by COVID. What lessons have been learned, and how can the city reaffirm its commitment to rooting out racial inequity beyond the pandemic?

Two diverse panels, speaking on “Challenges and Opportunities for Ethnic Minority Communities During and Beyond the Pandemic” and “Working Together for a Better Future”, will help us get the conversation started. Among our panelists are Mr Chura Bahadur THAPA, Non-official Member of the Government’s Committee on the Promotion of Racial Harmony; Ms Ansah M. MALIK, Social Worker of Caritas Community Centre – Kowloon; Mr Ahtsham HATIZ, a member of the Civil Aid Service; Mr Howard LING, CEO of Dr Mask; Mr Moses MUI, Chief Officer of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Dr Rizwan ULLAH, EOC Member; and Mr Vijay Partap SHARMA, Founder of Ultimate United. EOC Chairperson, Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin will deliver opening remarks while renowned actor Mr Vivek MAHBUBANI will moderate the panel discussions.

Sign up now with the link below. Registration will close on 18 March 2021. Meanwhile, the EOC will also be launching a citywide campaign featuring MTR advertisements, newspaper supplmeents and online videos to further promote messages of racial diversity and inclusion. More details to come, so stay tuned to our website!

As a result of the amendments to the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) that took effect in June 2020, protections against sexual harassment have been expanded to cover people working in a common workplace, including not only employers and employees, but also interns, volunteers and other “workplace participants” as specified under the SDO.

To explain how the current law may apply to situations of sexual harassment in sports, as well as equip sports organisations with better knowledge of preventive practices, the EOC will organise the seminar “Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Sports Sector: How to Empower Coaches and Athletes to Prevent Sexual Harassment” via Zoom on 26 March 2021 (Friday), 2:30pm-4:30pm.

Conducted in Cantonese, the seminar will begin with keynote speeches from Dr Ferrick CHU, Executive Director (Operations) of the EOC and Dr Trisha LEAHY, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Sports Institute. They will speak on, respectively, the legislative amendments and the role coaches can play in safeguarding athletes from sexual harassment. This will be followed by an experience-sharing session from Miss YU Chui-yee, EOC Member and Representative of the Hong Kong Wheelchair Fencing Team. A panel discussion featuring these speakers and Ms Fay HO, Honorary Deputy Secretary General of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China will also be held, with Miss Kitty LAM, Head of Policy, Research and Training of the EOC as the moderator.

Management, staff members, coaches and athletes from sports organisations, District Sports Associations, National Sports Associations and their affiliates, as well as other sports participants are all welcome. This event is supported by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Sports Institute, and the Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health of Hong Kong Baptist University.

The EOC is pleased to have been recognised as an outstanding Gold Certificate awardee by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD) at the inaugural Privacy-Friendly Awards in 2021.

In a video shown during the Awards Ceremony on 4 March 2021 and now available on the  PCPD website, EOC staff members demonstrated the meticulous effort they put into protecting personal data privacy in their everyday work, and explained the policies in place to ensure strict compliance with data protection principles.

Serving members of the public with their best interests at heart has always been a core value of the EOC. In fact, last month also saw the EOC being awarded the 10 Years Plus Caring Organization status by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Looking ahead, the EOC will continue to uphold its commitment to the local community and strive for organisational excellence.

In celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021, the EOC has rolled out a series of initiatives this month, including a photo exhibition featuring original works by women photographers, an online seminar about intersectional inequality, and a LinkedIn campaign spotlighting women working in the Commission.

Learn more now: