bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Nora Tong

University students will soon be  tested on their knowledge of issues related to sexual harassment on a new website designed by the Equal Opportunities Commission.

The commission yesterday introduced the city's first online training kit to promote  an understanding of sexual harassment.  The website was developed with the support from eight public tertiary institutions.

The kit consists of two tests and a tutorial. A certificate will be awarded to students who pass the online tests.  The tutorial explains the definition and various types of sexual harassment, and the liabilities of schools and individuals.

While denying the website was introduced in response to claims of sexual harassment in university orientation camps in the past few years, commission chairman Raymond Tang Yee-bong  said the public and senior university administrators were, nonetheless,  concerned about the situation.

He said the public held university students in high regard and students should find a balance between autonomy and legal responsibilities.

Mr Tang also called for a comprehensive sexual harassment policy and a structured education programme to help cultivate a  female-friendly environment.

'[Often] women and girls are targeted [and] fear of victimisation deters would-be complainants from taking action,' he said.

In the past 11 years the commission has received 822 complaints of sexual harassment, 35 of which took place on campuses.

University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor Joseph Lee Hun-wei  said the university had received two complaints related to sexual harassment since early 2003 and two to three inquiries a month.  An increase in occurrences was not evident.

'[Sexual harassment] can take place between students, among staff or between students and staff members ... in verbal, physical and cyber forms,' Professor Lee said.

Ting Wai-fong,  an associate professor of applied social sciences at  Polytechnic University, said the university received a single-digit number of complaints about  sexual harassment each year.

Veronica Tam Sin-ping,  director of student services at Lingnan University, said 700 new students would go through the material next week in orientation camps. Students at higher grades would have to do so later.



Watchdog designs website to test university students on sexual harassment issues