Event Review

Building on the enthusiastic response to the inaugural “Play Smart” Joint-Institution Interactive Workshop on Addressing Sexual Harassment on Campus last summer, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) hosted the event again on 25 July 2025. From 11 higher education institutions this time, 35 participants joined the workshop to learn about prevention of sexual harassment, and to sharpen their skills in handling enquiries or complaints relating to sexual harassment on campus.

During the workshop, Ms Susana SOO, Senior Equal Opportunities Officer from the Anti-Sexual Harassment Unit of the EOC introduced to the participants the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the legal definition of sexual harassment in Hong Kong. She also provided

insights on how to effectively identify and address incidents of sexual harassment, using specific examples relevant to campus environments.

Following this, Ms Tina CHAN, Equal Opportunities Officer from the Anti-Sexual Harassment Unit of the EOC, explained the key considerations when handling complaints of sexual harassment, emphasising the importance of confidentiality and sensitivity throughout the process.

Participants then engaged themselves in role-playing scenarios that simulated freshmen experiencing sexual harassment during the orientation programme. This immersive experience helped them develop empathy and a better understanding of the needs of the affected students. Dr Ferrick CHU Chung-man, Executive Director (Operations) of the EOC, reminded participants to find out the purpose and expectations from the students who approached to seek help, and advised participants to offer timely assistance and document the actions taken.

At the conclusion of the workshop, Dr CHU presented each participant with a certificate stating the names of the individual as well as all participating institutions, in recognition of the joint efforts to combat sexual harassment on campus.

The EOC’s study, “Break the Silence: Territory-wide Study on Sexual Harassment of University Students in Hong Kong”, previously found that nearly one-fourth (23%) of university students were sexually harassed within 12 months before the survey. To tackle the problem by understanding the most common forms and root causes of campus sexual harassment, please refer to the full report here: https://www.eoc.org.hk/compass/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Break-the-Silence-Territory-wide-Study-on-Sexual-Harassment-of-University-Students-in-Hong-Kong-2019-ENG.pdf .

The EOC also runs the “Understanding Sexual Harassment” Learning Platform and recommends that tertiary and secondary education institutions should sign up for their staff and students as one of the preventive measures. For more details, please visit the webpage: https://www.eoc.org.hk/compass/en/online-learning-platform/.