Hong Kong Watch attends UN Women’s Rights Review
Today, our co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers and our research and policy advisor Anouk Wear concluded their trip to the United Nations in Geneva by attending China’s review under the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
We made a submission and a joint submission with Freiheit für Hong Kong e.V. and Hongkongers in Deutschland e.V. that highlighted the various women’s rights violations since 2019, including violations by the police and under the National Security Law. We also gave a statement to the Committee emphasizing these points.
During the introductory remarks, the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Shirley Lam Shuet-lai, attacked NGO submission for being based on “false information” and containing “distorted narratives.” She said that she strongly opposed the groundless claims of gender based and sexual violence against the police and that no-one, including the police, is above the law.”
Earlier this week, the Hong Kong government also published a press release criticising Hong Kong Watch and other NGOs “not based in Hong Kong” who gave additional information to the UN, stating that they “made submissions to the Committee that are highly politically charged [...] based on false information and distorted narratives regardless of the truth, with flawed comments on the human rights situation in Hong Kong”.
All NGOs have the right to contribute information to the UN review on women’s rights, and the delegation may respond to the information provided, including disagreeing with it. It is an attack on freedom of expression and a deliberate attempt to silence civil society who are critical of the Hong Kong government. Hong Kong Watch has made UN staff aware of the situation.
The Hong Kong government also provided very insightful comments during the review:
Only 37% of the judges and judicial officers in Hong Kong are women.
According to the Hong Kong government, the International Women’s Day march was cancelled because the organisers themselves decided to cancel the event, so the police respected their wishes. (This is inconsistent with the organisers’ own statement and the previous police comment, which said the event was cancelled for national security reasons.)
Hong Kong has no domestic legislation to implement the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and implements the Convention in parts.
We look forward to the Concluding Observations from the CEDAW review, which are expected to be published in June 2023.
Anouk Wear, Research and Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, stated “We appreciate the UN Committee on Women’s Rights’ review of the situation in Hong Kong. They asked very helpful questions on violations of women's rights perpetrated by the police in 2019 and under the National Security Law.
I am disappointed in the Hong Kong delegation’s attempts to intimidate Hong Kong Watch and other NGOs. We will continue to seek accountability and advocate for Hong Kong to comply with its international legal obligations, including women’s rights.”