Press Releases

Second Report on elimination of all forms of discrimination against women

The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau today (September 23) issued a draft outline of HKSAR's second report under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to seek views from members of the public.

CEDAW was extended to Hong Kong in October 1996 and has remained in force since then. The Convention concerns elimination of discrimination against women, and development and advancement of women in all fields.

As part of the combined third and fourth periodic reports of China, HKSAR submitted its initial report on the implementation of CEDAW to the United Nations in August 1998, which was later considered by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in February 1999 (CEDAW Committee).

A spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said: "The draft outline sets out the broad subject headings and individual topics that are to be covered in the second report under CEDAW.

"In the second report, we shall address the various concerns as well as the recommendations made by the CEDAW Committee at the last hearing held in 1999.

"The report will also give updates on administrative, legal and other measures taken to implement the Convention, progress made in promoting women's well-being, significant changes in the status of women and equality of the sexes, as well as obstacles to the full achievement of the Convention since the previous report.

"To give a more comprehensive picture of the status of well-being of women in Hong Kong, a number of topics that were not covered in the first CEDAW report have been included in this draft outline, for example, access of IT training for women, education and health services for women with disabilities, single parents, women smoking, etc."

The consultation period will last for five weeks until October 26, 2002. A public consultation session will be held at the Academy of Medicine on October 12 for interested parties to express their views.

"Views are invited on the implementation of the Convention in respect of those topics covered as well as suggestions for any additional topics to be included in the report," the spokesman said.

"We shall try to address the concerns and incorporate the views so expressed as far as possible in preparing the content of the report," the spokesman added.

The HKSAR will submit the second CEDAW report to the Central People's Government (CPG) by March 2003.

The draft outline of the second CEDAW report can be downloaded from the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau website at http://www.hwfb.gov.hk, the Women's Commission website at http://www.women.gov.hk, and the Government's website at http://www.info.gov.hk.

Enrollment to the consultation session is on a first-come-first-served basis. For enquiries, the contact numbers are: Telephone 2973 8165, Facsimile 2501 0478 or E-mail Address enquiry@hwfb.gov.hk

Monday, September 23, 2002