Cultivating resilience among Hong Kong's underprivileged ethnic minority groups in the face of a pandemic through a social justice lens

• Date: 28 February 2023
• Pages: 829-847
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0149
• Published date: 28 February 2023
• Author: Gizem Arat,Suna Eryigit-Madzwamuse,Angie Hart

Cultivating resilience among

Hong Kong’s underprivileged

ethnic minority groups in the

face of a pandemic through

a social justice lens

Gizem Arat

Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

Suna Eryigit-Madzwamuse

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and

Angie Hart

University of Brighton, Brighton, UK

Abstract

Purpose –In this study, the authors investigated ways to cultivate resilience through a social justice lens

among ethnic minorities against COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach –A qualitative (case study) methodology was adopted to interview 15

social service providers from diverse ethnic backgrounds serving disadvantaged ethnic minority groups

(South and Southeast Asian groups from low-income households, foreign domestic workers and asylum

seekers/refugees).

Findings –Two major protective factors were identified, contributing to the development of resilience among

diverse ethnic groups: (1) individual-based resilience (including being optimistic) and (2) socio-environmental

factors (including ongoing support from strong family, peer and religious settings’support, consulates’

support, on-going material and nonmaterial donations, support of young volunteers and importance of online

connection and communication) using the integration of resilience and social justice frameworks.

Originality/value –This study showed that the protective factors were found to dynamically interact with

each other and the environment. The present study recommends additional culturally sensitive service and

policy implications for preventing the long-term impact of mass crises among Hong Kong’s marginalized

minorities.

Keywords Reduced inequalities, Ethnic minorities, COVID-19 pandemic, Resilience, Social justice,

Good health and well-being

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) in China since 1997, promoted as “Asia’s

World City,”has a population of 91.6% Chinese (majority ethnic group) and 8.4% nonChinese

(minority ethnic groups) (Census and Statistics Department, 2021). For decades, it has been

inhabited by individuals and communities of diverse ethnic origins. Therefore, it is

particularly important for research to take a social justice approach when exploring

experiences of ethnic minority groups residing in Hong Kong.

In all disciplines, social justice is defined as equitable distribution of resources, power,

opportunities and privileges across everyone in a society regardless of their background such

Social-justice

based

resilience

829

This study was funded by the first author’s affiliated university. Faculty Research Grant, No: SSFRG/

20/2/1) in Hong Kong. The points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not

represent the official views of the institution/the funding body. The authors declare no potential conflicts

of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 10 June 2022

Revised 28 October 2022

21 December 2022

18 January 2023

Accepted 2 February 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 42 No. 7, 2023

pp. 829-847

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0149

as ethnicity (Hage et al., 2011). The key principles of social justice are access (i.e. equal access

to resources related to health, education, employment and community), diversity (i.e. rules,

regulations and policies responding to everyone’s needs in the society) equity (i.e. availability

of resources for challenging systemic barriers), participation (i.e. opportunities for

meaningful involvement of communities in decision-making) and human rights (i.e. human

rights cannot differentiate between any individuals as they are inherent to individuals).

These key principles formulize important underpinnings for understanding experiences of

ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong.

According to the most recent Census and Statistics Department (2016), the 8% nonChinese

ethnic minorities within a total Hong Kong population of 7.5 million includesI ndonesians(26.2%),

Filipinos (31.5%), Whites (10.0%), Mixed (11.2%), Indians (6.2%), Pakistanis (3.1%), Nepalese

(4.4%), Japanese (1.7%), Thais (1.7%) and Koreans (1.1%). In Hong Kong, minorityethnic groups

are classified into several broad categories. South Asians (Pakistanis, Indians and Nepalis) are

generally viewed as ethnic minorities. They mostly come from low-income households and have

darker skin than their nonSouth and nonSoutheast Asian and White counterparts do.

According to the Census and Statistics Department (2016), ethnic minorities constitute

12.0% of the whole working population in 2016. The sex ratio of the working ethnic minorities

was 227 males per 1,000 females. The rates for female ethnic minorities in the younger age

groups of 15–24 and 25–34 were 37.1 and 60.8% respectively, which were lower than those for

the whole population (43.7 and 82.5% respectively). Most South Asians (Pakistanis and

Nepalese) engage in elementary-level occupations (Government of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region, 2016).

Apart from South Asians and Whites, 400,000 foreign domestic workers (mostly Filipinos

and Indonesians) are referred to as “domestic helpers”(Census and Statistics Department,

2020). Some empirical evidence ind icates that foreign domestic work ers experience

discrimination in public transportation or report mistreatment by their employers (Chung

and Mak, 2020;Ullah, 2015).

Hong Kong is also home to approximately 11,000 asylum seekers and refugees,

accounting for 0.2% of the total population (Table of Two Cities, n.d.). Among these asylum

seekers and refugees, Africans are reported to face the biggest challenges and discrimination

(Ng et al., 2019) and are portrayed as subordinate to the indigenous culture (Chow-Quesada

and Tesfaye, 2020). The overall success rate of nonrefoulement (a principle which prohibits

states from sending people back to a country where they may face serious human rights

violations) claims filed by refugees in Hong Kong is extremely low (UNHRC, n.d.).

Approximately 1% (243 claims) of 22,988 nonrefoulement claims was approved between late

2009 and December 2020 (The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,

2020). Nearly half of those claims came from African individuals (The Government of Hong

Kong Special Administrative Region, 2020).

1.1 Experiences of ethnic minorities combating COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Due to its strict quarantine measures and COVID-19 vaccination rates, Hong Kong is

regarded as one of the most successful international cities in combating the various

COVID-19 waves. According to the Hong Kong government’s official statistical information

(The Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 2021), Hong Kong has 12,581

confirmed cases with 213 deaths and a 72.1% first vaccine and 68.8% 2nd vaccine dose rate

(as of December 26, 2021, during the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic). Data generated

from this study were collected during the fourth wave of pandemic. In contrast to the

community’s success in maintaining low death rates and zero case transmission during the

fourth wave of pandemic, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or charities have reported

issues affecting certain disadvantaged groups, such as ethnic minorities from low-income

households (e.g. Zubin Foundation, 2021).

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