“These people often have strict religions, distinct gender roles, arranged marriages, language barriers, and difficulty finding work. On top of that, many do not speak Cantonese; English is not my first language.”
‘Chain of pain’: The plight of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority women comes into focus after tragedy
‘Chain of pain’: The plight of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority women comes into focus after tragedy
The mental health of Sham Shui Po’s ethnic minority communities and the services available to them came into the spotlight last month after a 29-year-old Indian woman was charged with murdering her three young daughters in a condominium apartment in Sham Shui Po. Ta.
The woman had no history of mental illness, but had immigrated with her children about a year ago after suspecting her husband was having an affair.
In response to this tragedy, six NGOs (Zubin Foundation, Hong Kong Unison, Kerry Support Group, Health in Action, Harmony House and HKSKH Lady MacLehose Center for Ethnic Minority Services) have jointly filed a complaint with the authorities. , called for ensuring the inclusion of ethnic minority communities. The support they needed.
They said there was an urgent need to increase the number of ethnic minority social workers and mental health professionals to provide “culturally sensitive services”.
Only 21 of the city’s 27,373 registered social workers are from ethnic minorities, and NGOs estimate they serve a total of more than 600,000 people.
The newspaper’s research found that few students from ethnic minority communities pursued social work or related degrees because most students did not meet the Chinese language entrance requirement for universities.
Ghisin, who speaks Urdu and specializes in mental health, moved to Hong Kong in 2007 at the age of 16 and earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Hong Kong in 2017.
“The Sham Shui Po incident was a tragedy that could have been avoided if there had been more support for ethnic minorities suffering from mental health issues,” she said.
Mr Gissing added pressure on people from ethnic minority backgrounds that could lead to mental health problems, and a shortage of social workers meant people in desperate situations could slip through the safety net. It was explained that there is a sex.
She supported the NGO’s call to action, saying: “Will there be more people with mental health problems and more incidents like this in five, 10 years’ time?”
‘Everything in Chinese’: Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students hit a wall
‘Everything in Chinese’: Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students hit a wall
A Department of Social Services spokesperson said Mental Wellness Integrated Community Centers provide district-based mental health support services for everyone, including people from minority ethnic groups.
The hospital authority, which oversees all public health institutions in the city, said it does not keep statistics on the ethnic backgrounds of its staff, but said the city’s hospitals and clinics have interpreters in 17 languages. added.
However, Kathy Chan In-tung, assistant manager of public policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), said interpreters alone cannot solve problems arising from language barriers.
“Because the interpreter is a stranger, it prevents patients from opening up and telling their full story,” she says.
Increasing human resources alone is not enough to address Hong Kong’s mental health problems
Increasing human resources alone is not enough to address Hong Kong’s mental health problems
Counselor Asha Kurian, 34, said the language barrier was the main reason ethnic minorities felt excluded from government services.
“People like counselors and mental health professionals who understand their culture and speak their language,” says Kurian, who is Indian. He works with various NGOs to support ethnic minority people.
She said language barriers also exist in the process of seeking help.
“Many of the forms are in English or Chinese, so they have to be translated into the client’s language. When you translate, you can miss the correct meaning,” she said.
“Cantonese used in classroom discussions”
The situation would change if more young people from ethnic minority communities could become social workers, but low proficiency in Cantonese made it difficult for most to access the available courses.
Waqas Butt, 27, a Pakistani-Hong Kong national who completed his bachelor’s degree in social work in 2019, said, “Cantonese is used for class discussions and case analysis, so people who want to study social work should choose Cantonese.” “You need a high score in Japanese.”
Despite being born and raised in Hong Kong, he only had a basic understanding of Cantonese. He said that despite his poor grades in Chinese, City University allowed him to enroll in the social work course because of his good grades in other subjects.
However, after I graduated and started looking for a job, language became an issue. He recalled that he applied to his eight NGOs but received no response.
“If you want to study full-time or work full-time in Hong Kong, Chinese is not an option, but it is a must,” Mr Butt said. She spent two months finding work with an NGO and is now doing outreach work in ethnic minority communities.
“Many NGOs require the ability to speak Cantonese, read, write, and type in Chinese, even if they do not serve Chinese communities.”
Hong Kong center provides support to ethnic minority children with special needs
Hong Kong center provides support to ethnic minority children with special needs
John Tse Win-lin, executive director of Hong Kong Unison, an NGO that provides services to ethnic minorities, said it was unrealistic to expect more ethnic minority social workers to be produced soon.
“The language barrier is too high to get a university degree or diploma,” he says. “Governments, universities and employers should sit down and lower China’s demands.”
Dr. Yam Kong, director of the College of Engineering’s Bachelor of Social Work degree program, told the Post that the program will offer a Chinese language degree this year to ethnic minority applicants who do not have a degree in secondary education (DSE). He said that he was offering admission slots with an additional fee. Associate degree program.
“We have been open to them and have tailored pure English interviews for ethnic minority applicants,” he said.
A spokesperson for City University said the university’s social work program is “very Hong Kong and locally focused” and offers an alternative qualification in Chinese for students who do not speak Chinese to meet admission requirements. He said that he is accepting.
Number of ethnic minority students with special needs in Hong Kong is underestimated: NGO
Number of ethnic minority students with special needs in Hong Kong is underestimated: NGO
Baptist University, which also runs a social work program, said exemptions from the Chinese language requirement may be granted at the discretion of individual programs, but only “under special circumstances and on a case-by-case basis.” .
A spokesperson for the University of Hong Kong said applicants who only achieved Level 2 in Chinese at DSE could be admitted if they scored well in other subjects.
Naubahar Sharif, a professor at the University of Hong Kong’s public policy department, called on the government to allow more qualified ethnic minority students to enroll in mental health-related courses.
A member of the government’s mental health advisory committee, he proposed creating slots for eligible ethnic minority students to take courses in social work and counseling.
“Hong Kong’s mental health sector is not fully welcoming to ethnic minorities, either in admitting ethnic minority practitioners or in creating an environment that is welcoming to ethnic minority patients,” he said.