Hong Kong's race law

After more than a decade of debate, a controversial anti-racism Bill has been unanimously approved by legislators in Hong Kong.

This could be good news for non-Chinese Hong Kongers like the Arcilla family. Originally from the Philippines, the Arcillas have called Hong Kong home for more than two decades.

All of the four Arcilla children were educated in the city, and both parents speak fluent English and some Cantonese, hold steady jobs and pay taxes. Yet they face racism on a daily basis.

The father, Ray Arcilla, 54, said he has been called "stupid" and "brainless" in the course of his work as an engineer, simply because of his skin colour.

His 26-year-old daughter Tesa said she has met Hong Kongers who assume she is either a maid or a prostitute because she is a Filipina.

Under the new anti-racism legislation, the discrimination faced by the Arcillas could now be illegal. The new law aims to guarantee racial equality by criminalizing "discrimination, harassment and vilification on the ground of race", said a report in the Straits Times.

Even so, some rights groups like Unison, which represents ethnic minorities, criticize the Bill for not going far enough to protect minority rights.

Unison director Fermi Wong said it was "ridiculous" the law exempts government agencies, including police.

But Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam said it was not feasible to include all government departments in the Bill because doing so could result in "an influx of litigation and complaints which are unreasonable and unnecessary...and would hamper efficient administration," he said.

Ethnic minority groups make up five per cent of Hong Kong’s seven million population.