ENG-2011 — Page 260

220 Social Welfare

WoC comprises 24 members including the chairperson who is a non-official member. Its mission is 'to enable women in Hong Kong to fully realise their due status, rights and opportunities in all aspects of life'. In line with this goal, the WoC has adopted a three-pronged strategy, that is, provision of an enabling environment, empowerment of women, and public education.

On the advice of the WoC, since 2002 the Government has gradually introduced gender mainstreaming in different policy areas to provide an enabling environment. A Gender Mainstreaming Checklist was drawn up in 2002 and updated in 2009 to help officers take a systematic approach in assessing the needs and perspectives of both men and women when formulating government policies. In addition, gender-related training has been provided to over 5 300 civil servants of different grades and ranks since 2001. All bureaux and departments now have their own Gender Focal Points through which matters concerning gender mainstreaming can be channelled.

With regard to the empowerment of women, the WOC strives to implement various initiatives to help women realise their potential. In March 2004, a learning programme designed for meeting women's needs, the Capacity Building Mileage Programme (CBMP), was introduced to enhance women's self-confidence and learning abilities.

This programme seeks to empower women and enhance their life skills. It is carried out in collaboration with the Open University of Hong Kong, a radio station and nearly 70 women's groups and NGOs. By the end of 2011, the cumulative number of enrolments exceeded 53 000, not to mention the large audience reached through relevant radio programmes. The programme was first introduced on a trial basis for three years with funding from the Lotteries Fund. Since March 2007 the Government has provided funds for the programme. In February 2009, the Financial Secretary announced that a total of $20 million would be allocated in the next three years to expand the programme and provide fee remissions to women with financial difficulties. In October 2011, the Government announced that CBMP would become a recurrent project.

Continuous efforts were made to raise public awareness of women-related issues and reduce gender stereotyping. In 2011, the WoC jointly produced with the Radio Television Hong Kong two TV series 'Lady KING' and 'Woman with Dreams 4'. The former was a 10-episode five-minute programme featuring various issues related to women while the latter was a 10-episode television drama series that portrayed the contemporary experiences of Hong Kong women across different age groups in order to enhance public understanding of the multiple facets and situations of women in Hong Kong.

Rehabilitation Advisory Committee

The Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (RAC) was set up in 1977. It serves as the principal advisory body to the Government on matters pertaining to the well- being of persons with disabilities and the development and implementation of rehabilitation policies and services in Hong Kong. Sub-committees were set up to