THE LEGAL SYSTEM
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agreement which applies to the territory. Legislation has already been enacted to localise laws in fields including admiralty jurisdiction, marine pollution, merchant shipping, civil aviation, coinage, dumping at sea, protection of trading interests and biological weapons, and work in other areas is in progress.
A Localisation and Adaptation of Laws Unit has been established in the Attorney General's Chambers. Its role is to give legal advice on the localisation of UK legislation which presently applies to Hong Kong. It also advises on the adaptation of the laws of Hong Kong to ensure compatibility with the Basic Law of the HKSAR, which was promulgated in April 1990. In that respect, a review by policy branches of all ordinances within their spheres of responsibilities has been completed with a view to appropriate amendments being made on, or shortly after, July 1, 1997.
Human Rights
Hong Kong abides by several international conventions on human rights. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) have been extended to Hong Kong since 1976. The Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong and the Basic Law of the HKSAR of the People's Republic of China both guarantee that the provisions of the two covenants, as applied to Hong Kong, shall remain in force after 1997.
The Bill of Rights Ordinance, which was enacted in 1991, gives effect in local law to the provisions of the ICCPR. At the same time, the Letters Patent for Hong Kong were amended to provide that no laws shall be made which restrict the rights and freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong in a manner inconsistent with the ICCPR as applied to the territory.
In 1994, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was extended to Hong Kong, placing the territory under international obligations to respect children's rights and protect their interests. The initial report on Hong Kong under the convention was submitted to the UN in early 1996 and examined in October by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
A proposal seeking to extend to Hong Kong the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was agreed at the Joint Liason Group and the extension took effect on October 14, 1996.
On the domestic front, the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, enacted in July 1995, renders unlawful discrimination on the grounds of sex, marital status, pregnancy and sexual harassment. It also provides for the establishment of an Equal Opportunities Commission tasked with the responsibility of eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities between the sexes. The Equal Opportunities Commission was formally established in May 1996 and began operation in September. It also oversees the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Ordinance enacted in August 1995.
The Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, enacted in August 1995 to protect the individual's right to privacy with respect to personal data, gives statutory effect to internationally recognised data protection principles and provides for the establishment of an independent regulatory authority, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, to promote and enforce compliance with the legislation. The