9 May 2023 – Yesterday, during a United Nations session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Megan Khoo representing the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation delivered a statement on the state of women’s rights in Hong Kong since 2019. This followed the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s written submission which underscores how the Chinese Communist Party and Hong Kong authorities also violate the rights of women human rights activists, journalists, and politicians in Hong Kong and around the world.
Mrs Khoo directly challenged China’s state report which claims that Hong Kong has promoted “women’s development and advancement in all fields”. Mrs Khoo pointed out that Hong Kong maintains the highest proportion of women prisoners in the world. She raised the questionable convictions that women have received, similar to that of British citizen Jimmy Lai who received bogus jail sentences for daring to report the truth.
Mrs Khoo declared that Hong Kong’s Basic Law and the Sino British-Joint Declaration, documents that codified the People’s Republic of China’s promises when it took over Hong Kong in 1997, have been destroyed by China. She urged the United Nations’ CEDAW to demand that China repeal the National Security Law and respect the Basic Law, rather than allowing China to promote legislation that facilitates the abuse of women worldwide.
Mrs Khoo also spoke on behalf of Hong Kong Watch, Freiheit fur Hongkong, and Hongkongers in Deutschland, declaring that the rights of all Hong Kongers, including women, have been systematically eroded since the arbitrary application of the National Security Law in 2020. Mrs Khoo cited as an example the cancellation of Hong Kong’s annual Women’s March on national security grounds this year. She also called attention to the gender-based and sexual violence towards women during Hong Kong’s 2019 protests.
The CEDAW will formally review China’s state report, considering the written and oral evidence from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, on 12 May 2023 in Geneva.
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation’s Communications Manager, Megan Khoo, said:
“The evidence is clear and the verdict is out that the Chinese Communist Party, which dictates policy to the Hong Kong government, has destroyed all rights including those of women in Hong Kong. It is unacceptable that female human rights activists, female journalists, and female politicians face physical assault and harassment, gender-targeted language, and transnational repression at the hands of the Hong Kong authorities. The Hong Kong government and Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for their actions in Hong Kong.”