Media

Official Launch of the CCPL’s Hong Kong’s Hidden Stories: I am Hong Kong Too

22 Mar 2016

 

Hong Kong’s Hidden Stories: I am Hong Kong Too is a Centre for Comparative and Public Law (CCPL) project run by Puja Kapai, the Director of the Centre of Comparative and Public Law and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. 

In September 2015, the CCPL published the Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong 1997-2014, authored by Kapai which represents a comprehensive compilation of existing data and research pertaining to Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities across a range of indicators. It has become clear from the research that there are a variety of areas of life in which being an ethnic minority or being perceived as one has a direct impact on your prospects for education, employment, overall socio economic wellbeing such as inclusion and equal treatment at school, and in the workplace.

The findings show the myriad ways in which the trajectory of one’s life is negatively impacted due to misperceptions about identity, belonging and rights of and attitudes towards Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities. Moreover, the report reveals that there are rampant stereotypes which dominate the education and employment sectors leading to the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in pre-primary education and higher education as well as entry into employment and in professional occupations. Conversely, there is a disproportionate overrepresentation of these groups among those living in poverty and Hong Kong’s working poor. At the same time, however, the report also highlighted that the experiences of ethnic minority communities are diverse and different groups have different needs given challenges that are unique their communities.

Despite these findings however, the common perception about ethnic minorities in the community continues to be a negative one which paints ethnic minorities as a ‘problem’. They are often spoken of in terms that suggest that they are not Hong Kong people or do not contribute to Hong Kong or are a strain on Hong Kong’s limited resources. They are often perceived as transient populations that are not here to stay. Yet many of them have resided in Hong Kong for generations. Ethnic minority children who enter mainstream schools sometimes report that their teachers assume that they are less competent than their Chinese counterparts and therefore, do not present them with opportunities to challenge them or worse, tell them that they need not bother applying to university as they are stereotyped as being likely to end up in particular, mostly unskilled, occupations. The education system has also undermined opportunities for equal access to quality education because ethnic minorities do not learn Chinese as a second language in many schools and the student under the present system only graduate with the equivalent of a primary two Chinese standard, which is inadequate in facilitating their competitive entry into university or the labour market. Although some support has been put into place recently, the impact of these measures remains to be seen.

The response to the report which presents the staggering evidence of systemic discrimination has been one of denial – that this cannot be happening in Hong Kong or that the issue is not one of discrimination but rather, individual instances where the person or group concerned has done something that warrants the negative impressions because they are not trying hard enough, or they do not want to integrate or simply put, they do not perceive themselves as Hong Kongers. To help put this discourse into perspective and to tackle some challenging themes in relation to discrimination, exclusion and address common misconceptions and stereotypes about ethnic minorities, this project provides a platform for ethnic minorities to write their own script and narrate their stories in their own voice.

The project aims to share the experiences, challenges and triumphs of Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities in their own voice, and to showcase their commitment to Hong Kong and their sense of identity as Hong Kongers. The narrative voice bears the power of authenticity and authority over one’s story and message, which is often distorted in media reports about the lives and experiences of Hong Kong ethnic minorities. The project also aimed to encourage others to reflect on their own Hong Kong journey and to talk about these experiences for ethnic minority communities to draw inspiration and encouragement so that they can envision a bright future for themselves in Hong Kong.

The videos were then launched on a weekly basis to tackle different themes and stories and were circulated widely on a dedicated YouTube Channel at http://bit.ly/21QrtUA and on our Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/1Lwl3oN. As of 29^th January 2016, a total of 12 videos have been released, including 8 individual stories. The facebook page has amassed immense traffic and the videos have garnered a reach of nearly 75,000 and have been liked and shared more than 6,000 times in the 7 weeks since the launch of the first video. The stories represent a unique tool to transform the public scripts that are written about various ethnic groups in Hong Kong.

On this occasion, to mark the International Day Against Racial Discrimination which falls on 21st March and to raise awareness of Hong Kong’s obligations under International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the CCPL will be screening a compilation of the videos to highlight the issues which Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities continue to face. United States Deputy Consul General Thomas Cooney will be officiating the launch on behalf of the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, the funder of the project. The Keynote Speech will be delivered by the Honourable Mr. Justice Kemal Bokhary, Non-Permanent Judge of the Final Court of Appeal. Representatives from non-governmental organisations working on the rights of ethnic minorities, community leaders and interviewees from the video project will be discussing the impact of the video project, the role of multimedia as a means for empowerment and raising awareness, and initiatives to improve intercultural understanding in Hong Kong.

The material has been collated and edited by five Hong Kong Chinese students who have dedicated a tremendous amount of time to the project. Some of the videos have used humour to undermine existing stereotypes and also, to turn common stereotypes on their head, inviting people to be more open-minded and receptive to people of diverse backgrounds. Although some of the stories are heart-rending, they are told in an endearing, free spirited manner, inviting new beginnings, friendships and intercultural exchange.

Date: March 22 2016 (Tuesday)
Time: 17:00 – 19:30
Venue: Large Moot Court, 2/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, the University of Hong Kong.

Programme of Events

17:00	Introduction Puja Kapai, Director, CCPL & Principal Investigator
17:10	Opening Remarks Deputy Consul-General Tom Cooney Deputy Consul General, US Consulate General to Hong Kong and Macau
17:20	Screening: Hong Kong’s Hidden Stories
17:50	Keynote Speech The Honourable Justice Kemal Bokhary Non-Permanent Justice, Court of Final Appeal
18:25	Panel Discussion
18:55	Open Floor Discussion / Questions
19:30	End

Media Inquiries:
Dr Sherif Elgebeily,
Centre for Comparative and Public Law
Tel: 39171938
Email: ccplaro@hku.hk