Reproductive rights catapulted onto the world stage in 1968 during the first United Nations’ International Conference on Human Rights, where member states and delegates assured citizens of the “basic human right to determine freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children.” In theory, this meant that women would have improved access to education, contraception and […]
From low-waste funeral options to biodegradable cardboard coffins, Hong Kong-based eco-funeral provider Forget-Thee-Not offers end of life options for a healthier environment. Dr. Fan Ning is a surgeon and an environmentalist, as well as the chairman of Hong Kong-based eco-funeral provider Forget-Thee-Not. The service offers progressive advice and support for the bereaved, including low-waste funeral […]
Every day around dinner time, a group of roughly 20 staff members and volunteers from ImpactHK begin their daily ‘Kindness Walks’ through districts like Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Kwun Tong. During the two-hour walks, small teams visit around 200 of the city’s homeless, who are living in parks or under bridges. The volunteers […]
As conversations about racial discrimination reach a crescendo around the world, many are looking inward to better understand and redress ongoing social bias in their own communities. In India, where society follows a class-based caste system and has been influenced by years of western imperialism, light skin has long been linked to beauty and status. […]
The first week of November, people around the globe watched in angst as votes for the 2020 United States presidential election results trickled in. While states tabulated results, US President Donald Trump falsely declared victory on early 4 November (3 November EST). The announcement came as no surprise to anyone paying attention. The President had […]
WORDS Chermaine Lee, Rafelle Allego and Kary Lam PHOTOGRAPHY Karma Lo and António Sanmarful Hong Kong Love Your Neighbours Toby* is gay, but he hasn’t come out to his Christian family yet. Here’s why: “In secondary school, I read online forums and watched different types of heterosexual and gay porn, but I didn’t completely realise […]
Every day, some 800 million women and girls are having their periods worldwide. Across many countries and societies, menstruation is still whispered about, or referred to with euphemisms that have little to do with biology. In Asia, this hushed approach is all the more acute in countries such as India, Nepal and Indonesia. In such […]
Antonio Luis Leong was three years old when he was diagnosed with autism in 1987. When Antonio’s mother, Ruby Lou, heard the term, she wasn’t sure what it meant. “I was worried and confused,” recalls the single mother who lives in Macao. “I knew it would be challenging, something I would have to face.” Autism […]
For many couples who are struggling to conceive, surrogacy has become a promising alternative, along with other assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilisation and intrauterine insemination. But in Hong Kong, commercial surrogacy is totally prohibited, while altruistic surrogacy (involving no compensation), is available only to married couples. By default, same-sex couples can’t access […]