Forum on Good Practices on Empowerment of Women

The Women's Commission invited contribution from women organisations as well as other community groups and sectors on examples of good practices on the empowerment of women in April 2002.  Response to the exercise was enthusiastic.  Close to 100 submissions from different organisations and sectors were received.  An independent Selection Panel, which comprised Ms Christine Fang, Director of Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Professor Japhet S Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Ir Edmund Leung, Council Member of Hong Kong Institute of Directors; Judge Wong Hing-chun; and Ms Ip Shun-hing, Member of the Commission, selected a total of 33 good practices for inclusion in the booklet on good practices on empowerment of women.

The booklet on good empowerment practices was published (in Chinese).  Some of the practices have now been translated in English.  In this connection, we held a forum on 7 June 2003, at which representatives of organisations, whose practices have been selected for inclusion in the booklet, together with their beneficiaries, shared their experience and learning points of good empowerment practices.  The following areas were covered:

• women's education and training;
• economic well-being;
• mutual/self help;
• health;
• safety at home and in the public; and
• women's social participation and decision-making.

The booklet on good practices on empowerment of women were distributed at the forum.

The forum provided an opportunity for various sectors of the community, including women NGOs and services agencies, to exchange views and experience, with the aim of stimulating the development of more innovative and positive initiatives and projects for women's advancement.