Core issues remain for HK, report says
The US State Department's human rights report has concluded that the Hong Kong government 'generally respected the human rights of citizens', but it noted some 'core issues remained'.
Its 2008 human rights report on China, which includes a review of Hong Kong and Macau, highlighted areas that required attention.
'The terms of the Basic Law limit the ability of citizens to participate in and change their government. Claims of press self-censorship persisted. The legislature was limited in its power to introduce or amend legislation and could not approve executive appointments. Violence against women remained a concern. Workers had a number of problems, including a minimum wage and a guaranteed right to bargain collectively,' the report said.
It noted that the chief executive was selected by an 800-person committee, and that only half of the legislature was directly elected.
The report also noted that '28 of the functional constituencies represent only 230,000 voters ... Of this number of voters, 15,000 are represented by the three largest FCs while the four smallest have less than 200 voters'.
It added: 'Persons with interests in more than one sector represented by an FC may thus be able to cast three or more votes.'
The report said domestic violence was still a concern, although it recognised the government's efforts in amending the domestic violence ordinance last year.
Criminal syndicates still existed, trafficking mostly women from the mainland, Thailand, or the Philippines, and 'an increasing number of young men came to work as homosexual prostitutes', it said.
Collective bargaining was lacking and 'in all but a few specific trades, unions were not powerful enough to force management to engage in collective bargaining', it said.
A government spokesman said: 'We recognise that the existing electoral method for returning the Legco functional constituency seats is not consistent with the principle of universal suffrage. In discussing the relevant universal suffrage models in future, the community will have to deal with the issue of functional constituencies so as to ensure that the future universal suffrage model for Legco comply with the principles of universal and equal suffrage.'
The spokesman added: 'Human trafficking is transnational in nature. We will continue to be vigilant and to co-operate with our law enforcement partners in the region and overseas.'
