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Letter to Hong Kong: EOC Chairman calls for eradicating discrimination against persons with mental illness
Speaking on RTHK’s radio programme Letter to Hong Kong on 18 March, EOC Chairperson Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin called on the community to tackle stigmatisation and discrimination of persons with mental illness (PMIs).
In February, the EOC released a major study on PMIs in the workplace, revealing that a majority of respondents considered discrimination against PMIs as “very or quite prevalent” in Hong Kong. Among the surveyed employed persons, more than half of them said they are worried that PMIs might harm others while around 40% of them said they would try to keep a distance from PMIs and they are scared of being alone with PMIs.
“It all boils down to the misconception and the wrongful association between PMIs and violence. In fact, only very few PMIs are prone to violence. We should avoid magnifying some isolated incidents, which only serves to entrench the wrong perception, as well as stereotypes and stigmatisation of PMIs. In any case, PMIs should not be labelled adversely,” said Mr Chu, “We must better explain it to the public and amend their misconceptions.”
According to EOC’s study, nearly 20% of PMIs encountered difficulties when applying for sick leave for seeking mental health advice mainly because they are worried that their companies will have negative thoughts about them.
It is recommended that the employers offer reasonable accommodation, such as flexible working arrangement, to PMIs, and ensure that employees with mental health conditions can apply for sick leave to attend medical appointments, follow-up consultation or treatment. The employers should also put the anti-discrimination policy and complaint-handling mechanism in place so as to create a PMIs-friendly environment and enable them to unleash their potential.
“If the PMIs can receive the support and sympathy from their supervisors and colleagues, as well as receive appropriate measures and assistance, their moods will certainly be enhanced such that they can better concentrate on their work,” Mr Chu said in the programme, “It would be a win-win-win situation for PMIs, their colleagues and employers.”
