Forum of October 2023: Individual security
October marks the National Hate Crime Awareness Week(14-21 October). It’s a good time for the welcoming groups to discuss Hong Kongers’ security living in the UK. We held a forum with the theme "individual security" this month. Safety and security are no doubt top concerns among the BN(O) Hong Kongers when settling in the UK. This includes whether one feels safe in their workplace, neighbourhood, school, and community, hate crime, freedom of speech and execution of their rights, and many more. We were honoured to have Victina Tse from Protection Approaches / On You side and Julian Chan from Hongkongers in Britain to speak in the forum.
Hongkongers in Britain conducted a survey and published a Community Security Report earlier this year. To kick start the forum, Julian Chan from Hongkongers in Britain shared the key findings and gave recommendations on safety and security issues facing UK Hongkongers from their recent survey. The key findings cover the perceived and actual safety and security issues facing UK Hongkongers, their challenges in dealing with these threats, and the threats’ impact on UK Hongkongers’ social participation, freedom of expression and international travel. Hongkongers in Britain suggests the UK government review the related policy to reduce Hong Kongers’ reliance on services provided by the Chinese or Hong Kong government on DBS check and passport renewal. It also recommends the law enforcement agencies to adopt measures to protect UK Hongkongers’ safety in civic participation and freedom of expression.
Our second speaker, Victina from On Your Side, introduced the service that supports the East or Southeast Asian community, including Hong Konger. Those in the community who witness and experience racism or any form of hate are encouraged to report to On Your Side for support. The service hotline provides direct support in 9 languages/ dialects and reportees will be kept anonymous. She gave an overview on the cases received by On Your Side including demographic characteristics such as race, gender, location, and the type of hate crime. She also shared information about the activities in National Hate Crime Awareness Week that promote the community awareness of reporting any form of hate and racism. Participants from welcoming organisations were eager to learn more about the service and promote within the community.
Both Julian and Victina observed that there is a need to enhance the understanding of hate crime among the community to better address the safety and security concerns of Hong Kongers. During the discussion section, participants agreed that reporting is important for raising the law enforcement agencies’ attention. The group is also aware of the level of distrust Hong Kongers have towards different stakeholders. More effort is needed to address the issue.
