Equal Opportunities Commission

Search

Press Releases

Press Releases

EOC’s Response to the District Court Ruling on Claim of Disability Vilification of People with Mental Illness

27/01/2011

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) noted that the District Court had ruled against the plaintiff who alleged that an article published by a newspaper on 9 September 2006 vilified persons with mental illness. The EOC will study the judgment and decide on the way forward.
 
This is the first disability vilification case that has ended up with a trial in the court. In providing legal assistance to the plaintiff, the EOC had hoped to test where the line on disability vilification should be drawn and to raise public awareness on the harmful effects of discrimination by insensitive portrayal of people with disabilities.
 
Although the judgment was not in the plaintiff’s favour, the EOC has noted that the judge did agree that the use of certain words in the Article in question is “distasteful” and that the writer of the Article was insensitive to the feelings of people with mental illness.
 
The EOC urges all members of the public to beware of stereotypical thinking and work together to eradicate deep-seated prejudice associated with people with mental illness.
 
For media enquiries, please contact Mr. Sam Ho at 2106 2187.
 
 
Equal Opportunities Commission
27 January 2011
Top