Will you be eating out this weekend? Do you plan on volunteering for any organisation? And if you are an employer, do you have any interns working for you? How about employees who breastfeed? If your answer to any of these questions is affirmative, then it would be in your interest to learn about the latest amendments to Hong Kong’s anti-discrimination ordinances. A good place to start is the Autumn edition of the EOC’s journal, Equality Perspectives published last week.

Implemented by the Discrimination Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2020, the amendments may appear abstract and hard to understand at first glance, but they represent a significant step forward in protections from various forms of discrimination and harassment, and have a profound impact on many sectors of public life – from work and education-related settings to the provision of goods, services and facilities.

Breaking down these changes in simpler terms, the journal offers a comprehensive look at their legal scope and effect, before addressing continued gaps in the law and the need for further reform.

Also available on the EOC website is a separate guidance on the amendments, complete with practical examples of possible contraventions of the amended ordinances, as well as recommendations on good practices for employers and other stakeholders to prevent discrimination and harassment in relevant areas of the law.

• Read the journal
• Download the guidance