聯合國婦女地位委員會會議(美國紐約)

 

總團代表教省接受普世聖公宗的邀請，派出婦女代表參與於美國紐約每年舉行之聯合國世界婦女地位委員會會議，並與不同海外牧區交流。以下是歷屆總團派出的代表的報告/分享：

 

第62屆 - 2018年3月10-24日  

 /uploads/2/macao--uncsw62_20180208.pdf

 

                                      UN CSW61 Anglican Communion Country Report

 

 

By Provincial Delegate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui: Wendy Lee and Tam Yeuk Ming

 

___________________________________________________________________________

 
I.    Introductory Information

 

 

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong SAR”)
and has high degree of autonomy in accordance with the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”.Hong
Kong SAR can exercise its own executive, legislative and judicial powers, including the power of final
adjudication.

 

 Hong Kong SAR has a total area of 1104 square kilometers and its total population is about 7.3 million

as in 2015, among which 3.938 million were female and 3.367 were male.1

 

 

To protect gender equality, the Hong Kong SAR has legislation to outlaw domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination on the ground of sex, marital status, pregnancy and family status.

The  Equal  Opportunities  Commission was established in 1996 to work towards the elimination of

discrimination and harassment and promoting equality of opportunity between men and women.

 

In 2001, the Government of Hong Kong SAR established Women’s Commission which is tasked to

take a strategic overview over women’s issues, develop a long-­‐term vision and strategy for the
development and advancement of women, and advise the Government on policies and initiatives which
are of concern to women.

 

Since 2002, the Government of Hong Kong SAR started to adopt gender mainstreaming in different policy and programme areas. Starting from 2015, the Hong Kong SAR Government requires all bureau

and departments to apply gender mainstreaming to formulating major government policies and initiatives.2   In the 2016 Policy Address, the Government of Hong Kong SAR aimed to implement a
pilot scheme to encourage NGOs in the social welfare sector to apply gender

 

______________________________ 

1  Women and Men in Hong Kong Key Statistics 2016 Edition p.xxv
2  The 2015 Policy Address paragraph 149

 

mainstreaming when formulating policies and programmes.3

 

 III.  Key concerns and issues

 

 

Women have equal opportunities to receive education in Hong Kong SAR. However, for the older generation, women tend to have lower education attainment when compared with men.

 

Nowadays, the education for population irrespective of gender has much improved in Hong Kong SAR.

There are increasing female students receiving higher education. The percentage of female students enrolled in funded education programmes has increased from 50.1%in 1997/97 to 54.3% in 2015/16.
In particular, female students enrolled in taught postgraduate level has increased from 36.2% in 1996/97
to 61.3% in 2015/16. At the undergraduate level, the percentage share of female student has increased
from 49.6% in 1996/97 to 55% in 2015/16.4

 

The proportion of female employed persons working as managers and administrators, professionals and
associate professionals increased from 19.6% in 1993 to 31.8% in 2015, although the corresponding
proportion of male employed persons was still much higher at 45.2% in 2015.5

 

In the civil service, though the number of female directorate officers has increased from 35 in 1981 to
445 in 2015, it is still much lower than the number of their male counterparts (679 in 1981 and 859 in
2015).6

 

 

In Hong Kong SAR, the number of women participating in public affairs has increased significantly in
recent years. However, the number is still much smaller when compared with their male counterparts.

 

In the Executive Council of Hong Kong SAR, only 20% of its members are female. In the 2015 District
Council Election, the number of elected members was 79 females

 

________________________________ 

 

 

 

and 352 males.7    In the 2016 Legislative Council election, the number of elected members was 12 females and 58 males.

 

The number of women representatives in government advisory and statutory bodies is much lower than
their male counterparts. In 2015, only 27.6% of non-­‐official members serving on public sector advisory
and statutory bodies were women.8

 

 

There are more women than men living in poverty in Hong Kong SAR. In the press release issued by
Oxfam Hong Kong on 14 September 2016, it is said that there was more than one in six women live below the poverty line in Hong Kong. Among all employed persons in poor households in 2015,women’s
monthly median income was HK$6,700, which was a 34% increase from HK$5,000 in 2001. However,
during the same period, the monthly median income of men rose by 46.7%; which shows that the gender
gap in poverty is worsening.

 

 

The number of sexual harassment complaints received by the Equal Opportunities Commission of Hong
Kong SAR always ranked high.9   Though there is legislation in force in Hong Kong to protect women
from violence, and offenders may face civil or criminal law sanction; it remains important to prevent violence against women and to educate women (in particular the foreign domestic helpers and the ethnic
minority groups in Hong Kong SAR) about their rights.

 

IV. Anglican Provincial Response

 

The Province of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui consists of three dioceses and one missionary area in
Macau. It was established in 1998 as the 38th Anglican province in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
It has a long history of advocating gender equality for women and girls through education and provision
of welfare services. The Province is now operating more than 100 schools in Hong Kong SAR, providing
education to both male and female students. The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

 

_____________________________ 

 

 

 

Welfare Council is the social welfare arm of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, it provides comprehensive
social services in the Hong Kong SAR.

 

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui has gender equality within its constitution. The Province currently has
12 women priests out of a total number of 76.  It was among one of the first areas where women priests
were ordained in the Anglican Communion. The Provincial Standing Commission of Examining

Chaplains has no prerequisite selection based on gender consideration but on all-­‐round discernment on the candidates’ personalities, abilities, spiritual and academic backgrounds. All women priests in the Province are also eligible for the election of bishop if there is vacancy.

 

 

The HKSKH Women’s League is a fellowship body under the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui.
It organizes seminars and workshops for women to provide training for spiritual growth and inspire the
women to take up their role and mission in the challenging world. It also recruits volunteers to visit elderly nursing homes, fundraising and donation to the underprivileged families in Hong Kong, so as
to bring the love of God and our care to the society.

 

In 2014 the HKSKH Women’s League had delivered questionnaires to all the member churches and
received feedback from 34 churches. The collected data showed that 61% of churchgoers are female
over 18 years old, 54% of them are between 30-­‐50 years old, 79% are married (8% divorced) and
21% are single.

 

The most common problems they come across were found to be the followings: Marriage, economic burden, job, belief, care of their own children, health, emotional problem and relationship with
mother-­‐in-­‐law.

 

There were many measures done to help ease the women’s burden, such as group gathering, fellowship,
seminars, training course, workshops, retreat camp, home visit and counseling. A lunch time fellowship
in commercial area for working women is recently organized to help working women to take a break
from their work during the week for some spiritual nurture, the swift response reflects the thrist for such
kind of fellowship.

 

The Women’s League is planning to do a more in depth survey in 2017 in order to follow up the situation
and consider whether we need to tailor make programs to fulfill the needs of the women in Hong Kong.

 

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___________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

UN CSW60 Anglican Communion Country Report

 

 

I.                   Introductory Information

 

Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong SAR”) and has high degree of autonomy in accordance with the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”. Hong Kong SAR can exercise its own executive, legislative and judicial powers, including the power of final adjudication.

 

Hong Kong SAR has a total area of 1104 square kilometers and its total population is about 7.241 million as in 2014, among which 3.896 million were female and 3.345 were male.[1]

 

II.       Legislation and government policies to protect gender equality in Hong Kong SAR

 

To protect gender equality, the Hong Kong SAR has legislation to outlaw domestic violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination on the ground of sex, marital status, pregnancy and family status.   The Equal Opportunities Commission was established in 1996 to work towards the elimination of discrimination and harassment and promoting equality of opportunity between men and women. 

 

In 2001, the Government of Hong Kong SAR established Women’s Commission which is tasked to take a strategic overview over women’s issues, develop a long-term vision and strategy for the development and advancement of women, and advise the Government on policies and initiatives which are of concern to women.

 

Since 2002, the Government of Hong Kong SAR started to adopt gender mainstreaming in different policy and programme areas. Starting from 2015, the Hong Kong SAR Government requires all bureau and departments to apply gender mainstreaming to formulating major government policies and initiatives.[2]  In the 2016 Policy Address, the Government of Hong Kong SAR aimed to implement a pilot scheme to encourage NGOs in the social welfare sector to apply gender mainstreaming when formulating policies and programmes.[3]

 

III.              Key concerns and issues

 

Education and employment

 

Women have equal opportunities to receive education in Hong Kong SAR. However, for the older generation, women tend to have lower education attainment when compared with men. 

 

Nowadays, the education for population irrespective of gender has much improved in Hong Kong SAR. There are increasing female students receiving higher education. The percentage of female students enrolled in funded education programmes has increased from 50.1%in 1997/97 to 53.9% in 2014/15. In particular, female students enrolled in taught postgraduate level has increased from 36.2% in 1996/97 to 60.6% in 2014/15. At the undergraduate level, the percentage share of female student has increased from 49.6% in 1996/97 to 54.7% in 2014/15.[4]

 

The proportion of female employed persons working as managers and administrators, professionals and associate professionals increased from 19.6% in 1993 to 31.4% in 2014, although the corresponding proportion of male employed persons was still much higher at 44.1% in 2014.[5]

 

In the civil service, though the number of female directorate officers has increased from 35 in 1981 to 445 in 2014, it is still much lower than the number of their male counterparts (679 in 1981 and 854 in 2014). [6]

 

Participation in Public Affairs

 

In Hong Kong SAR, the number of women participating in public affairs has increased significantly in recent years. However, the number is still much smaller when compared with their male counterparts. 

 

In the Executive Council of Hong Kong SAR, only 20% of its members are female. In the 2012 Legislative Council election, the number of elected members was 11 female and 59 male.[7]

 

The number of women representatives in government advisory and statutory bodies is much lower than their male counterparts. In 2014, only 27.6% of non-official members serving on public sector advisory and statutory bodies were women.[8]

 

Poverty

 

There are more women than men living in poverty in Hong Kong SAR. According to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), the percentage of women living in household with income below the poverty line was 18.1% in the first half year of 2012, while the corresponding percentage for male was 17%.[9]

 

Violence against Women

 

The number of sexual harassment complaints received by the Equal Opportunities Commission of Hong Kong SAR always ranked high.[10] Though there is legislation in force in Hong Kong to protect women from violence, and offenders may face civil or criminal law sanction; it remains important to prevent violence against women and to educate women (in particular the foreign domestic helpers and the ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong SAR) about their rights.

 

IV.              Anglican Provincial Response

 

The Province of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui consists of three dioceses and was established in 1998 as the 38^th Anglican province in the worldwide Anglican Communion. It has a long history of advocating gender equality for women and girls through education and provision of welfare services. The Province is now operating more than 100 schools in Hong Kong SAR, providing education to both male and female students. The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council is the social welfare arm of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, it provides comprehensive social services in the Hong Kong SAR.

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui has gender equality within its constitution. The Province currently has 12 women priests out of a total number of 76. It was among one of the first areas where women priests were ordained in the Anglican Communion.

 

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Women’s League (“Women’s League”) is a fellowship body under the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui with a long history.  Women’s League unites women within the Province. It has established a foundation to support women seminarians and to encourage more women to respond to the calling of ministry.[11]

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Taking it home --- ‘What is a pathway on my life?’

 

The 59^th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) was rounded off in New York City on 20^th March, 2015.  It was such a great and precious experience for me, not only having the privilege to meet delegates from different provinces face to face, but also to establish our fellowship deeper than before through sharing with each other, discussing in groups, attending the events together, worshipping with other ecumenical women and  exploring the New York City when we were free… I wish networking in our Anglican Communion will be connected further in the future.

 

During fifteen days of the conference, there were lots of remarkable speeches presented by brilliant speakers. Most importantly, there was a big challenging question to each of our delegates - ‘What will I take home?’

 

Dr. Gertrude Mongella, former Under-Secretary General pointed out ‘Violence and Discrimination against Women; Poverty, Inequalities and Climate Change; Education and Training of Women and Girls; Women and Health’ are urgently needed to be raised and changed.

 

Mother Marie Carme Chery said, ‘If we want to do something we need to start where we are.’ 

 

‘When you educate a woman, you educate a whole society,’ expressed by Faith Meitiaki, Kenya.

 

Bishop Catherine Roskam shared with us, ‘Educate people in their own context, because culture counts.’

 

The above concerns are just like joined rings which are interdependent. To a certain extent, some of these problems exist in our local city, too.  Maybe it is a good chance to invite those delegates of HKSKH (Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui), who previously attended CSW, to get together and make relevant suggestions or give advice to our Women's League when we make about our annual plan / three-year plan in the coming year. We may firstly focus on finding resources to provide different trainings for women and girls in order to help them have a well-balanced and healthy life in physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Hopefully, some dedicated leaders in each parish of our province will be cultivated in a few years’ time.

 

 

Sarah from Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 第58屆 - 2014年3月10-21日

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  CSW58 Country Report – Hong Kong SAR

 

By Provincial Delegate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui: Terese Wong
_________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

The Hong Kong Special Administration Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong”) is a

relatively developed city with high autonomy of governance and relatively developed legal framework
and social welfare systems. With efforts from the Government to put in place policies to attain
international standards, women in the Hong Kong society encounter relatively less barriers within
institutional structures in terms of health, education and social welfare. Women’s rights are also, to
certain extend, protected under anti-violence and anti-discrimination laws. However, gender
stereotyping is still prevalent in a predominantly traditional Oriental culture, particularly among male
and older age groups. It is also recognized that many issues relating to women and girls in Hong
Kong are interwoven with the social and economic issues in the city, such as widening polarity
between rich and poor; juvenile delinquency; juvenile pregnancy; divorce cases; suicide cases; and
domestic violence etc. In these issues, women and girls become vulnerable victims to various forms of
physical and sexual abuses or intimidations.

 

The Hong Kong Government’s initiatives to eliminate discrimination against women are reflected in

the enactment of anti-discrimination legislations such as the Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the
Family Status Discrimination Ordinance. In 1996, the Equal Opportunities Commission was
established to implement the anti-discrimination legislations.61

 

As one of the signatories to the Beijing Platform for Action (“BPFA”), the Hong Kong Government
has been submitting responses to questionnaires and periodic reports on its implementation of BPFA
approximately every four years. The Government is due to submit its next report in 2014.

 

Since the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“CEDAW”)
was extended to Hong Kong in 1996, the Hong Kong Government has submitted its reports on
implementation of CEDAW as part of China’s periodic reports to the CEDAW Committee.

 

Following recommendations by the CEDAW Committee, the Woman’s Commission was established
in 2001 with the mission to “enable women in Hong Kong to fully realize their due status, rights and
opportunities in all aspects of life”1.

 _________________________________

1 http://www.women.gov.hk/mono/en/about_woc/mission.htm

 

The Women’s Commission has since been the Government’s vehicle in the promotion of women’s
interests. The Women’s Commission has adopted a three-pronged strategy, namely: the provision of
an enabling environment, empowerment of women through capacity building and public education, in
promoting the interests and well-being of women and is provided executive support by the Labour and
Welfare Bureau. The Commission has the terms of reference to advise the Government on policies,
reviewing and carrying research on women’s issues and maintain collaborations with international and
local women’s groups and agencies to promote communication and understanding. In a recent report
by the Commission, 14 development goals were identified in six key areas, namely: women’s
participation in decision making; health; safety; education; economic status and system of women’s
development2. These development goals range from promotion of awareness of women issues to
facilitating provision of support to specific target groups.

 

The Equal Opportunities Commission has a wider scope of reference and their works cover all kinds
of discriminations. However, their works in elimination of discriminations on grounds such as sex,
marital status, pregnancy and family status; and their promotion on gender equality would inevitably
protect women’s interests. The Commission also participates in Hong Kong’s report to the CEDAW
Committee.

 

Current Focus
As mentioned, it is felt that gender stereotyping was still prevalent in Hong Kong, current social
policies and measures have not fully incorporated gender perspectives that could fully address the
specific needs of women. The traditional perception of the role of women as the homemaker, thereby
putting the burden of domestic responsibilities and child caring on women, still persisted in society.
The import of domestic helpers to alleviate the burden of Hong Kong women, would only shift the
burden from one group (i.e. Hong Kong women) to another group (i.e. the migrant workers, who are
still predominantly women).

 

Statistically, there is gender imbalance in many areas, for example, the majority of victims in domestic
violence cases are women; the proportion of women serving on top decision making bodies such as
board of directors in local listed companies is still relatively much lower than men; the median income
of women is still lower than that of men; and gap between women and men’s participation in the
labour market3. The Government’s efforts to address and eliminate gender stereotypes are mainly in
gender education and promotion of gender mainstreaming via public education programs and mass
media. Many of the works specific to women on grass root level are taken by NGOs and local
women’s groups.

 

 _____________________________________

2  See further details in Women’s Commission Secretariat, December 2011: Hong Kong Women’s
    Development Goals.

3  Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department (2013): Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics

    2013.

 

 

Anglican Provincial Context
The Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui was established by statute in 1998 as the 38th Anglican
province in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Province has explicit mission to encourage
and equip its members to respond to social issues and adopts a pragmatic approach in implementing its
mission. It has also inherited a long history of advocating gender equality for women and girls
through education and provision of welfare services. The Province has a long established social
welfare arm, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council (“HKSKH Welfare Council”), which
has developed quality expertise in social services that enables it to be sub-vent partner in many
Government projects and provide relevant social services to address specific needs. The Province is
addressing issues relating to women on the grass root level through the HKSKH Welfare Council,
using its expertise in social service to provide wide range of comprehensive services for the elderly,
children, family integration and other counselling and rehabilitating services.

 

Within the Province’s own organization, there is no gender barrier in its constitutions or organization.
Appointment of official positions is based on individual talent and gift regardless of gender, therefore
gender equality is implied although not explicit. The Province currently has 13 woman priests out of
80. Woman candidates were nominated to stand in the recent elections of the Bishop of two of the
dioceses in the Province. Among the three diocesan chancellors in the Province, one of them is a
female lay canon.

 

The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Women’s League (“Women’s League”) is the de facto Women’s
Desk for the Province in the context of the ACC resolution 13-31. The Women’s League also
provides support in promoting women’s interests by utilizing its network of women groups to support
each other and their communities to respond to women issues. The Women’s League is currently
carrying out a survey gathering statistics and data from all the parishes in the Province on women
representation and opinions on the women’s needs within the parishes. It is hoped that these
statistics and data would assist further study and analysis on how best to link up resources and services
to help and support women in their families, education and social welfare in the Province.

 

 

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