1. pursuit
As Executive Director of Hong Kong Unison -- the non-profit
charity that she founded 12 years ago to defend the rights of Hong
Kong’s 300,000 strong ethnic minorities community, Fermi Wong
has selflessly devoted her life to defending the rights of the young
women and children in Hong Kong who cannot defend themselves.
WORDS JOYLI
FERMIWONG
THEINDEFATIGABLE
“A
rose, no matter how
its name is changed, is
still fragrant; humans,
no matter what their
colours are, have the same dignity.” So
says the leaflets found at Hong Kong
Unison’s small and cluttered office in a
converted warehouse in Tai Kok Tsui.
Unison’s founder, Fermi Wong, is
sitting at a window seat, attentively
planning her trip this month to the
United Nations in Geneva, to lobby
for support for the rights of ethnic
minorities in Hong Kong.
A petite blur of energy and passion,
Wong now has six full-time and one
part-time staffers to help her. “When I
started Hong Kong Unison in 2001, it
was a one-woman-organisation,” she
recalls.
Wong’s first encounter with ethnic
minorities took place in 1998, three
years after graduating from CityU with
a degree in social work. At that time,
the NGO she worked for prioritized
services to Chinese youth, mainly
school dropouts or drug-addicts.
However, during field trips, another
group of needful young people caught
Wong’s attention -- albeit they looked
very much different.
“I met a lot of ethnic minority
kids, they were mainly Nepalese or
Pakistanis, between the ages of nine
and 15. At first, I tried to help their
individual problems. But as I gained
deeper contact with them I began
to realise that this was not about
individual problems, but a systematic
problem at the government policy
level,” Wong stresses.
“If a school refuses to accept them,
no matter how many comfortable
words I offer, they still cannot get
enrolled. The government policy that
excludes them is biased. So I decided
that I must tackle the system itself.”
At that time, the problems of Hong
Kong’s ethnic minorities were not even
on the government’s domestic policy
agenda. For that reason, Wong was in
a league of her own in defending the
rights of the so-called “outsiders” as her
then bewildered colleagues reckoned.
“I got no support from my
colleagues, because [they felt that]
Chinese should help Chinese, a view
which I disagree with. The core value
of social work is upholding human
rights, human rights for all. I continue
to serve, despite the pressure, because
this is a matter of justice, of fairness,”
Wong says.
Born in Fujian Province, Wong
moved to Hong Kong with her family at
the age of 11. In the eyes of the young
girl, the striking difference between
Hong Kong and the mainland was the
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2. idea of social care that recognises basic
human dignity.
“I have been deeply influenced by
my social work training. Humans are
born equal. The passion to advance this
absolute value helps me to overcome
difficulties,” Wong says.
At the same time, personal
experience also shaped her view. Living
with a mentally disabled brother, Wong
knows too well that fatalism only leads
to apathy; when what is really needed is
compassion. And support.
“We can see those unfortunate
people in two ways; either it is your
personal problem and you are then
society’s burden; or we can form
supportive policies to help everyone
realize their maximum potential.”
Wong says.
Since founding Unison when she
was 30, Fermi Wong has been at the
forefront of fighting for the rights of
the defenseless. The issue which Wong
believes to be the most fundamental,
is equal right for everyone to an
education.
The functional purpose of
education, which is to secure more
choices on employment, is obvious
to all. However, she feels that the
significance of education should not
stop here.
“As you acquire more knowledge,
you become enlightened to comment
to the world’s beauty and ugliness. For
ethnic minority children, education
helps them to take control of their own
lives,” Wong explains.
The beleaguered groups whom Hong
Kong Unison works hard to help are
the mother hears poignant questions
such as: “When did you get married?
How was your life at that time? If given
another choice, would you have wanted
to marry so early? Do you want your
daughter to repeat the same fate?”
After being asked such questions, the
mothers often choke out the fact that
no one before ever cared to even ask
them their views.
Sometimes Wong fails to change
a result. However, she will constantly
offer “new perspectives within
traditions,” by saying “Can you please
then promise to find your daughter
someone who respects women?”
Wong is particularly rewarded when
ethnic minority girls tell her: “Miss, I
will not allow my husband to beat me! It
is about my dignity!”
Scorned by some Hong Kong
government officials, Wong has proved
herself an unyielding figure of strength.
On the education front, she has tasted
both the greatest joy and the deepest
frustrations.
In Hong Kong, only one percent
of ethnic minority children can go to
university. This sad figure, Wong says,
is a shame to the self-claimed “Asia’s
world city.”
The major obstacle limiting
minority children from having their
rightful educational opportunity is
learning Chinese. In 2006, thanks to
persistent campaigning by Hong Kong
Unison, local universities finally agreed
to recognise a less advanced certificate
of Chinese language, when considering
ethnic minority applicants.
Besides pushing for needed policy
changes, Wong is especially proud of
the scholarship scheme she created for
minorities, as tuition fees are becoming
ever more prohibitive for the poor. Hong
Kong Unison receives no government
funding, relying strictly on personal
donations and help from charity
organisations such as Oxfam.
In July 2008, the SAR government
put into effect its first Anti-Racial-
Discrimination legislation. This was
the direct result of a ten-year long
campaign, with Wong leading the fight
for the rights of those who could not
fight for themselves.
“There is finally progress towards
fair policy, but there are no concrete
comprehensive action plans, and no
long-term commitment yet,” Wong says.
When it comes to communicating
with government education officials,
Wong finds herself struggling not to
get depressed. “Because of elitism,
the civil service holds a stubborn and
conservative view that Hong Kong’s
ethnic minority communities do not
deserve more resources,” Wong says.
“Since 1998 I have been trying to
persuade top officials at the Education
Bureau. I have given my best efforts;
but I still cannot persuade those policy
makers, mostly women, to have a more
caring view”
In the future, Wong will continue
her efforts in striving for equal
education opportunities for ethnic
minorities. At the policy level, she
expects to see a concrete plan to
implement “Chinese as a Second
Language Curriculum and Assessment
Standard.”
Wong stresses that whether ethnic
minority children can effectively learn
Chinese is key. If so, this will help
eliminate the inferior feeling that
these children project onto themselves,
and pave the pathway for them to
improve their lot in other ways – such
as applying to university and seeking
higher paying jobs.
The philosophy that sustains the
indefatigable Fermi Wong is this: in the
seemingly desperate darkness, don’t
give up, try to search for a beam of light.
“If there is light, there must be an
opening, then we think how to make
this opening bigger and let in more
light, rather than focus on the desperate
darkness.”
Hong Kong residents who are ethnic
minorities and their families, all people
who have the full legal right of abode in
Hong Kong. Many of these families have
their origins in Pakistan, India, Nepal
or Indonesia. Though having settled in
Hong Kong for generations, they still
abide by their traditional practices, as in
their ancestral homelands.
“For ethnic minorities from South
East Asia, a patriarchal view is very
strong, the man’s opinion means
everything. This is due to a mix of
religion, tradition, and culture. And
women especially are disadvantaged
through forced marriage, domestic
violence and discouragement to pursue
personal goals,” Wong explains.
An example: a 16-year-old
Pakistani girl is told to go back to her
grandparent’s village and accept an
arranged marriage.
Knowing that such an early and
forced marriage would ruin the girl’s
life, Wong tries every means to persuade
her parents to let her stay in school,
or at least buy some time to defer any
marriage so that the girl may enter
college.
Inevitably, rebukes from the father
or the brother will be thrown at Wong:
“You are Chinese, you don’t understand
us; you are woman, you don’t
understand us!” the irate males will say.
Responds Wong: “I am rational. I
know I cannot change long established
traditions. But I try to bring in an
empathetic and self-respect perspective.”
She especially tries to win trust
from the mother, who herself often
underwent forced early marriage. When
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pursuit