It's the bane of air travel for certain ethnic minorities around the world - the extra security check. While some glide through customs effortlessly, others are pulled from the queue every time they enter a country.
Now Hong Kong's frontline customs officers have been told they need to do more to prevent racial profiling against Africans.
Adams Bodomo, a Ghanaian linguist who directs the University of Hong Kong's African studies programme, told a room of over 40 customs officers last week that their profiling was not down to misunderstanding but prejudice.
'They are singled out and they are treated differently,' Bodomo said. 'How are you as customs officers going to approach this?'
'That's why we invited you today!' Mimi Ngai Shuk-wa, a senior inspector, said.
'And I thank you!' replied Bodomo, grinning from ear to ear.