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Following is the full text of the speech (English translation) delivered by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan , at the Hong Kong Perspectives on Beijing + 5 Conference today (May 6):
Anna, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the Conference today. Making up almost half of our population and 40% of our workforce, it is not surprising that women related issues have been very high on the agenda of the Government. And on a personal level, naturally I take a strong interest in women's issues.
I remember that when I first joined the Government in the early 1960s, women officers were paid one quarter less than their male counterparts for doing the same job. At that time, maternal health and family planning services were relatively scarce, pregnant employees were unfairly dismissed, and girls were disadvantaged in receiving formal education. Fortunately, we have moved a long way from those days. Women's contribution to the development of Hong Kong in terms of its economic, political and social life has become increasingly significant with the passage of time.
About 1.7 million or nearly 50% of women in Hong Kong today are economically active and they account for 40% of our labour force. Female unemployment rate is now about 1.7% lower than that of men. These statistics, of course, do not take into account women's considerable contribution to the community through unremunerated work. As regards higher education, female students make up slightly more than half of the first degree graduates of the programmes funded by the University Grants Committee. Women also make up one-third of our civil service.
In terms of serving the community, at present four of the 13 Executive Council members are women. We have 10 women legislators, and 72 women are now serving on the District Councils, representing a two-fold increase in the number of women who served on the District Boards between 1994-97. The number of women serving on Government advisory and statutory bodies totalled over 900 at the end of 1999, which represented an increase of nearly 100% in the past 10 years. Following the recent posting announcement, 6 of the 16 Policy Secretaries in Government will be female officers. I hope to see more women participating in all sectors of our community.
Such changes are due in no small part, to the joint efforts of the Government, service providers, non-government organizations and pioneer women leaders. Since the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in September 1995, the Government has been promoting and implementing the twelve strategic objectives set out in the "Beijing Platform for Action". The "Platform for Action" aims to remove all obstacles to women's active participation in all spheres of public and private life, to address their problems relating to poverty, education, health and violence, to raise their status and to promote women's advancement through a fair and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision making.
Over the years, the Government has adopted a wide range of administrative and legislative measures to meet the diverse needs of women in line with the principles laid down in the "Platform for Action". For example, to enable women to work, we provide comprehensive childcare services through child care centres and after-school care programmes. Many women receive retraining from programmes provided by the Employees Retraining Board (ERB). Some 80% of the trainees in courses offered by ERB are women. The Department of Health has set up a number of Women Health Centres and Maternal and Child Health Centres to attend to women's specific health needs. Girls enjoy nine years free education as boys. Legislation is in place to safeguard women's employment rights and to protect women against violence. A Working Group on Battered Spouse was also established to strengthen the co-ordination of efforts and services for victims of domestic violence. A number of legislative amendments were introduced by the Government to enhance our ability to combat sexual offence. And services were improved to minimise the physical and psychological trauma of victims. I could go on but suffice to say that the wide range of measures taken testify to our determination to implement the "Platform for Action."
In implementing the "Platform of Action", 1996 was a landmark year when the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was extended to Hong Kong. In the same year, the Sex Discrimination Ordinance came into full operation and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) was established. In the following year, the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance came into force. The enactment of these two ordinances represents important milestones in promoting equality between the sexes.
In this connection, I must mention the work of the EOC. The Commission, through its imaginative promotional and educational efforts over the past four years, has achieved considerable success in promoting gender equality and arousing concern over discriminatory behaviour. Despite the increased general awareness in gender equality, many people still have deep-rooted prejudice. The road ahead for the EOC is a challenging one. Like many, I hope the EOC will endeavour to ensure the smooth and successful implementation of the Sex Discrimination and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinances, and that respect for equal opportunity will firmly take hold in Hong Kong.
Although much has been achieved in promoting gender equality, there is still room for further improvement. The purpose of today's Conference is to review the progress made in implementing the "Platform for Action". Going through the Platform, I notice that it has highlighted a number of critical areas of concern which require to be addressed. I understand that you will be discussing some of these later today. One of the topical issues concerns the establishment of an institutional mechanism to handle women issues.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women also recommended the establishment of such a mechanism after hearing HKSARG's initial report submitted under the Convention in 1998. There then followed a thorough discussion in the Legislative Council last year. Legislators were very supportive of the idea, and we said at the time that we would consider carefully community views on this suggestion before arriving at a final decision.
I am sure that all of you here today would agree that women issues impinge on a wide range of policy areas. Currently, the Home Affairs Bureau coordinates issues relating to the implementation of CEDAW in Hong Kong. Other women-related issues are handled individually by Bureaux or Departments according to their functional responsibilities. There is no specific Bureau or Department within the Government to tackle women issues across the board. In order to address women's needs in a comprehensive and systematic manner, to ensure the full development and advancement of women, and that women's perspectives are factored in at the outset during the formulation of policies, I am pleased to announce today that the Government will set up a Women's Commission to promote the well-being and interests of women.
The Commission will be tasked to advise the Government on a long term vision and strategy related to the development and advancement of women, and on policies and initiatives which are of concern to women. In addition, it will keep under regular review services for women, identify priority areas for action and advise on the development of new or improved measures. In performing these roles, the Commission will initiate surveys and research studies on women issues and organise educational and promotional activities.
By establishing a Women's Commission, a broad overview and improved structural strategy can be adopted to deal with women issues. We can ensure that women's concerns are taken into account as a matter of course when policies and initiatives are being formulated. The Commission will also promote improved co-operation and co-ordination in the delivery of women services and facilitate NGOs and community input in deploying resources for and designing and fine-tuning women services and programmes. In this way, services will better cater for the actual needs of women and service delivery can be improved.
In its formative years, we envisage that the Commission will focus on a number of areas that have already been identified as priorities for attention. For example provision of health services, childcare support, protecting women against violence, promotion of a working environment friendly to women and various legal issues relating to women and the family. The work of the Commission will not only improve women's well-being, but through public dialogue and debate, it will arouse community concern over women matters and help eliminate long-standing stereotypes and prejudices. The work of the Commission will have far-reaching implications on our society.
The Health and Welfare Bureau will provide secretarial support to the Commission and co-ordinate its efforts with that of the Government. Since women matters impinge on a wide range of policy issues, the Commission will comprise senior government officials from relevant departments and other community leaders from different sectors and professions. We are currently finalising the membership list and an announcement will be made as soon as possible.
By establishing the Women's Commission, we are breaking new ground in promoting the advancement of women. My colleagues and I will do all we can on this front. Our efforts alone, however, will not bear fruit if we do not have support from the community. Through my previous meetings with disadvantaged women groups, I realise the plight that single parents, victims of domestic violence or new immigrants face. Social pressure and the lack of understanding and care are major problems. The community at large needs to pay more attention to women issues. At a time of rapid changes in society and the family, we must redouble our efforts in understanding their problems. In promoting the advancement of women, the Commission will first need to raise awareness within the local community on gender related matters.
I am confident that with your support and that of other women groups as well as service agencies and other non-governmental organisations, we can together make the Women's Commission a great success.
In closing, I am sure that the exchange of views and the experience in this Conference will encourage us all to develop and implement new ideas to promote the interests and well-being of women. This in turn will benefit society at large. I wish you all a productive and successful Conference.
Thank you.
End/Saturday, May 6, 2000
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