Govt enhances support for ethnic minorities with expanded services and funding

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the government has strived to help ethnic minorities integrate into the community, overcome language barriers, and enhance access to information regarding participation in social services.

Mak emphasized that Hong Kong is a global city that values cultural diversity and is home to approximately 300,000 ethnic minority residents.

Various departments are dedicated to supporting ethnic minorities across multiple areas, Mak added. Notably, the Home Affairs Department has increased funding for non-governmental organizations, expanding support service centers for ethnic minorities from eight to ten.

Two of these centers are specifically designed to offer language courses and integration services. Mak highlighted that all ten centers have established ethnic minority care teams to provide language courses, counseling services, and integration activities.

To further mitigate the inconveniences ethnic minorities face due to language barriers, last year’s Policy Address proposed the establishment of an additional support center tasked with offering interpretation and translation services.