HKSAR Government delegates to attend meetings of UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
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A Government spokesman said today (May 9) that as part of the Chinese delegation, the HKSAR Government delegation will introduce to the Committee the part of China's ninth report under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) that is related to the HKSAR, and answer the Committee's questions on the implementation of the CEDAW in the HKSAR.
"This is the fourth time the Committee has examined a report submitted by the HKSAR under the CEDAW since 1999. The previous round of hearing was held in October 2014," the spokesman added.
The Government spokesman stressed, "The HKSAR Government will continue to protect women against all forms of discrimination, injustice or violence in accordance with the CEDAW. Since the last hearing, the room for development for women in Hong Kong has been continuously expanding. The current-term Government attaches great importance to the contribution of women to society and the work of supporting women, and established the Women Empowerment Fund to subsidise community projects that support women in balancing job and family commitments and unleashing their potential. We have also set aside $100 million to strengthen support for women's development. As always, we will resolutely and clearly explain to the international community the progress made in women's development in Hong Kong, and strive to do our best in publicity work."
The Government spokesman continued, "While the objective of the CEDAW is to safeguard women's right, remove barriers and gender stereotypes against women and ensure the full development of women, we noticed that some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), many of which are not based in Hong Kong, have made submissions to the Committee that are highly politically charged. Many of the statements in these submissions are based on false information and distorted narratives regardless of the truth, with flawed comments on the human rights situation in Hong Kong. The HKSAR delegation will make cogent clarification and stern rebuttals to any vilification at the hearing."
Meanwhile, the Government spokesman was aware of the untruthful biased commentary regarding the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) and the handling of the 2019 riot presented at the informal meeting between the Committee and NGOs yesterday (May 8) in Geneva. The Government spokesman strongly refuted and reiterated that, following the implementation of the NSL, chaos stopped and stability has been restored in Hong Kong, allowing the enjoyment of rights and freedoms which many people in the HKSAR had been unable to enjoy during the period of serious violence between June 2019 and early 2020. The NSL clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR. The Government spokesman also strongly condemned the vilification and smearing in respect of the so-called "gender-based violence" alleged to be committed by the Police during the serious violence in 2019. When someone breaks the law, Police officers are duty-bound to arrest them and bring them to justice. The two-tier police complaint handling mechanism is operating effectively to ensure that every complaint against the Police is handled in a fair and impartial manner.
The delegation will be led by the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam. Members of the delegation include officials from the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Department of Justice, the Labour Department and the Social Welfare Department.
The fourth report of the HKSAR under the CEDAW and the written response of the HKSAR Government to the List of Issues issued by the Committee are available on the website of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (www.hyab.gov.hk/CEDAW).
Ends/Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:08
Issued at HKT 19:08
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