Following the gazettal of the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020 this June, the EOC has published a leaflet on its website explaining each of the eight major changes the ordinance has brought to the city’s anti-discrimination laws, namely the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance, Family Status Discrimination Ordinance and Race Discrimination Ordinance. With the exception of the breastfeeding-related provisions which will come into effect on 19 June 2021, all the amendments are now in force.

One significant development is the introduction of protection against sexual, disability and racial harassment between persons who share a common workplace, even when there is no employment or other similar work relationship. As defined by the law, such “workplace participants” can include interns, volunteers and contract workers, among other people. The EOC has created a separate explainer on the topic, also available on the Commission’s website.

These leaflets are the first of a series of resources the EOC are rolling out to educate the public about recent legislative change. We will soon release a set of guidance notes covering all the amendments implemented by the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020, with detailed explanation of relevant concepts and a wealth of examples. so this is your chance to keep up with the latest developments of the law. So grab your chance to keep up with the latest developments of the law and stay tuned for more updates!

• Download the leaflet on the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020
• Download the leaflet about sexual, disability and racial harassment in a common workplace