|
Human Rights Issues -- August 2001
UN Meeting to argue for anti-racism law (August 1, 2001) (Article 2)
UN Meeting to argue for anti-racism law (August 1, 2001) (Article 2)
On July 31 to August 1 in Geneva, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) was the first time to hear about the joint report from Hong Kong, China and Macau. Together with the Coalition for Racial Equality (CoRE), Hong Kong Human Rights Commission had submitted a joint report to the Committee. The submission focused on discussing the problem of racial discrimination affecting three specific groups in Hong Kong, which were new immigrants from Mainland China, ethnic minorities and migrant workers. Those groups suffered from various forms of social discrimination and institutional discrimination in different aspects of life.
(see the full report: http://www.hkhrc.org.hk/content/publications/UN_reports/2001cerdreport/cerd2001.htm )
The main focus of the issue was to call upon the legislation against racial discrimination. According to the International Convention of Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the state party should have an enactment of the legislation making acts of racial discrimination to become unlawful. It also stated that the victims should be entitled to have effective protection and remedies against any racially discriminating behavior. Although Hong Kong had already become the state member of the Convention since 1969, there is no any legislation to protect people from being racially discriminated in private sector.
The Committee expert, Mr. Paul Hunt, commented that the UN Committee was extremely disappointed with the lack of anti-racism law, as the Government was still non-committal about legislation against racism.
On the contrary, the Government has its own explanation. Mr. Lam Woon-kwong, Secretary for Home Affairs, argued that the Government had to take more time for further public consultation. Mr. Wong Kai-yee, the leader of the Hong Kong Government committee, explained that the public consultation had been conducted in 1997 and it had concluded that public support was not in favor of anti-racism legislation.
This view had been strongly criticized by the legislator Ms. Emily Lau wai-hing and local non-governmental organizations. The Government officials then agreed to have further public consultation, especially on ethnic minorities and non-governmental organizations in the end of this year to decide whether to have anti-racism legislation in Hong Kong.
On August 9 2001, the Committee had released its concluding observations, which
criticized the SAR government for the lack of legislation and showed a strongly
resent to the Government. The Committee urged the government should have domestic
legislation as soon as possible in order to eliminate racial discrimination.
(see the full text of Concluding Observation:
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/fa1da2eee4d51bdfc1256aa4002c7afb?Opendocument )
By the end of August, the World Conference against Racism will be held in Durban, South Africa and the SAR Government would send government representative to attend the hearing.
Release of the restriction of the allocation of public housing apartment (2 August 2001) (Article 23)
Hong Kong Housing Authority released the restriction for the main applicants of public housing, as well as the Home Ownership Scheme. Before the change of the policy, it requires the main applicant should live in Hong Kong for 7 years and aged over 18. This restriction hinders the speed of the single-parent migrant families to improve in their living condition. In accordance with the new policy, the main applicant does not need to live in Hong Kong for 7 years when they were allocated an apartment of public housing estates by the Authority. It just requires that half of the family members should live in Hong Kong for 7 years. The Authority estimated that more than 4000 applicants could share the fruit of the change of the policy.
Other housing scheme also releases its requirement of the main applicants. The Home Ownership Scheme now allows the non public housing tenants, who live in Hong Kong less than 7 years, apply for the Scheme provided that there is one of their family members living in Hong Kong for 7 years.