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  1. EOC welcomes new Members and extends gratitude to outgoing Members

Photo of the reception at the EOC office
The Government announced the appointment of five new Members to the EOC today (30 April 2021), including Ms CHAN Lai-kwan, Ms CHOI Yi-tak, Dr Theresa CUNANAN, Ms Linda TSANG Chi-man and Miss YIM Chor-pik. They will serve a two-year term with effect from 20 May 2021. Existing Members Prof Cecilia CHAN Lai-wan, The Hon Vincent CHENG Wing-shun, Dr Andy CHIU Man-chung, Mr Mohan DATWANI, Ms Maisy HO Chiu-ha, Mr Henry SHIE Wai-hung, Ms Anna THOMPSON, Dr Rizwan ULLAH and Mr Gary WONG Chi-him have also been re-appointed by the Government.

Welcoming the new Members, EOC Chairperson, Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin said, “That the appointees come from diverse backgrounds reflects the very spirit of inclusion the EOC champions. With their wide-ranging areas of expertise and connections with different sectors, I am certain that they will provide us with insightful and innovative ideas, and I look forward to working with them as a team to elevate the EOC’s work.”

Mr Chu continued, “We must also take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Members, Prof Susanne CHOI Yuk-ping, Ms Elizabeth LAW, Ms Juan LEUNG Chung-yan, Ms Shirley LOO and Miss YU Chui-yee. From groundbreaking surveys about sexual harassment in tertiary education to the first equality-themed employer recognition scheme in Hong Kong, they have contributed to many EOC projects that have made a significant and lasting impact.”

Read the EOC’s press release
Read the Government’s press release
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  1. Landlords and estate agents can be allies of racial equality

MTR ads on racial equality in tenancy
Good tenants come from all races. To engage the public – particularly landlords and estate agents – in tackling racial discrimination in housing, the EOC will launch an MTR advertising campaign in the coming month. Trains running on the Island Line, Tsuen Wan Line and Kwun Tong Line will sport a two-part advert on their window panels, showing a Hongkonger of South Asian descent and an ethnic Chinese landlord entering into a tenancy agreement with the help of an agent and smiles on their faces.

Past studies by the EOC have reported cases of non-Chinese people being refused tenancy by landlords after a face-to-face meeting, despite having previously reached an agreement over the phone. Others reported being told by estate agents that landlords did not want to rent to ethnic minorities, before being asked to leave the agency office.
 
Under the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO), it is unlawful for a landlord to refuse to rent premises to a person or to offer the premises to a person on less favourable terms because of the person’s race (unless the exception relating to small premises or landlords wholly occupying the premises applies). Further, it is unlawful to knowingly aid an unlawful act under the RDO, meaning that estate agents would risk contravening the Ordinance by knowingly helping landlords screen out prospective tenants based on race.

The EOC has previously created a guide to Hong Kong’s anti-discrimination ordinances for tenants, landlords and estate agents. The Estate Agents Authority (EAA) also published an article recently about what agents should do to avoid racial discrimination. Click the links below to access these resources.

Read the EOC’s guide
Read the EAA’s article
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  1. Speak up against sexual, disability and racial harassment in common workplaces

MTR poster about sexual, disability and racial harassment in common workplaces
Since the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020 took effect last June, the EOC has been publishing leaflets, guidance and magazine articles to educate the public about the latest changes to Hong Kong’s anti-discrimination laws. To further raise awareness of one of the major updates, namely the new protections against sexual, disability and racial harassment in common workplaces, the EOC will put up posters at around 60 MTR stations during 1-14 May 2021.

Specifically, the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance and Race Discrimination Ordinance have been amended to prohibit sexual, disability and racial harassment committed by a workplace participant against another workplace participant at the workplace where they both work or attend. Workplace participants are defined to include employers, employees, interns, volunteers, partners in a firm, contract workers and their principals, as well as commission agents and their principals.

A “workplace” refers to any place where a person works (or which he/she attends) as a workplace participant. Examples include the office of a company where staff and interns work together; a co-working space where employees of different organisations work; a supermarket where employees of different product promotion companies and employees of the supermarket have a shared workplace; and a NGO’s service centre attended by both its employees and volunteer workers.

For definitions and examples of sexual, disability and racial harassment, please read the explainer here.

Download the EOC’s leaflet on protections against sexual, disability and racial harassment in common workplaces
Download the leaflet in other languages
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  1. EOC hits one-year mark on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Icon saying “Follow Us”
The EOC officially launched its LinkedIn page this month last year. Thanks to an ever-growing commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I) across industries and sectors, our followers have risen to nearly 1,000.

If you haven’t joined us already, do check out our page which not only shares news about the EOC’s latest events, but also offers advice on D&I practices for employers, as well as insights into trending issues, such as COVID-19 vaccination, the #StopAsianHate campaign, and many others.

Follow EOC on LinkedIn