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The EOC Holds Public Event in Honour of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

03/03/2019

A 300-strong audience consisting of Consuls-General, representatives of Government departments and NGOs, advocates of ethnic minority (EM) rights, as well as students and citizens, attended the “Equal Opportunities Diversity Project 2019” Event at E-Max, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre (KITEC) today (3 March 2019), in celebration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD). Co-organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 2, the public event aimed to bring different sectors together to advance racial equality and create a pluralistic and inclusive society.

IDERD was proclaimed by the United Nations and falls on the 21st of March every year. The EOC commemorates the occasion annually by rolling out events themed around racial equality and inclusion, in the hope of raising public awareness and uprooting prejudice.

In a welcome address, Ms Shirley LOO, Convenor of the EOC’s Community Participation and Publicity Committee said that EM residents in Hong Kong continue to encounter more difficulties than their Chinese counterparts, whether in education, employment or everyday life, which is cause for concern.

“Language barriers may curtail access to equal employment opportunities for EMs,” said Ms Loo. “For many jobs, having a command of the Chinese language is not necessarily an inherent requirement. What is more, EM employees hail from unique cultural backgrounds and come equipped with other language abilities that may enable organisations and companies to build a diverse workforce and drive business development.”

To encourage more organisations and enterprises to hire EMs and promote racial inclusion in the workplace, the EOC launched the Racial Diversity & Inclusion Charter for Employers last year. Highlighting the benefits of developing a diverse and inclusive workforce, the Charter has drawn in 11 signatories to date, with some 20 more set to come on board by the end of this month.

EM employees from some of the signatories were invited to speak on their experience during today’s event, explaining how they worked hand in hand with their employers to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace, while drawing on their unique language skills and cultural backgrounds to help the company overcome its challenges.

The plight confronting EMs is not restricted to the search for gainful employment; it goes all the way back to early education. “The current education policy does not adequately address the needs of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students. We know NCS children who were rejected or discouraged from applying kindergartens; we see a high concentration of EM students in a number of primary and secondary schools; and we hear NCS students failing to get into university simply because they could not meet the minimum Chinese proficiency requirement. An education policy truly tailored for the needs of EM communities must be in place to resolve these issues,” said Ms Loo.

Ms Loo called on members of the public and all sectors to make proactive efforts towards promoting racial equality and building a pluralistic and inclusive society. In addition to Ms Loo, officiating guests include EOC Members, Mr Mohan DATWANI, Ms Maisy HO, Mr Samuel CHAN and Dr Sigmund LEUNG; Acting Chief Operations Officer of the EOC, Dr Ferrick CHU; and Head (Chinese Programme Service) of RTHK, Mr David HO.

The event today featured talks and experience-sharing sessions on anti-discrimination and equal opportunities, as well as singing and cultural performances. The award presentation ceremony for winners of the Generation i Multimedia Competition also took place during the event. Co-organised with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Jockey Club Media 21, the Competition was launched in August 2018 to encourage young people in Hong Kong to voice out their views and hopes relating to equality. It featured workshops on comics drawing and video production conducted by veteran artists, as well as a competition consisting of “Comics” and “Short Video” divisions.

Artiste Ms Kristal TIN; EOC Members, Dr Sigmund LEUNG and Ms Maisy HO; Head (Chinese Programme Service) of RTHK, Mr David HO; Convenor of the EOC’s Community Participation and Publicity Committee, Ms Shirley LOO; EOC Members, Mr Mohan DATWANI and Mr Samuel CHAN and; Acting Chief Operations Officer of the EOC, Dr Ferrick CHU officiated at the launch ceremony.

Group photo with officiating and sharing guests, and performers

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Equal Opportunities Commission
3 March 2019