What We Do
We challenge inequality with the ultimate aim of benefitting all Hong Kongers. We use legal services, research, policy, social welfare services, and community-centred advocacy to support, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable to violations of their rights.
How We Work
We provide direct assistance to those who have faced violations, helping them begin to heal by working to put laws and policies in place to make sure those violations don’t happen again.
And when community members’ rights and personal wellbeing are under threat, we assist with asylum claims, use strategic litigation to set precedent, and work to ensure that others don’t someday face the same mistreatment.
Using the legal system
We work to ensure that the most marginalised members of Hong Kong society – refugees, victims of torture and human trafficking, women, children, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and others – have the legal support they need to be protected in Hong Kong.
What’s more, we work tirelessly throughout our clients’ legal asylum processes, from the very beginning through to appeals and Judicial Reviews. As needed – and in cases where litigation is likely to set precedent that will strengthen the rule of law for others – we engage in targeted strategic litigation to enhance protection for our clients and Hong Kong society more broadly.
In addition to these efforts, we also run student legal clinics in collaboration with international and local universities in order to grow the next generation of human rights professionals.
Using Research, Policy & Advocacy
Justice Centre Hong Kong partners with community members across Hong Kong to utilise strategic policy and advocacy efforts that strengthen the rule of law in favour of the most marginalised members of society. Our community-centred policy and advocacy work is based upon our subject matter expertise, with a human rights and rule of law lens.
Justice Centre Hong Kong believes that a fair and just society creates laws, policies, and practices based on evidence. At Justice Centre we seek to contribute to the building of this evidence base on issues that affect our clients and Hong Kong more widely. We conduct research and use this evidence to make practical recommendations for improving law and policy and strengthening human rights protections. We also partner with civil society and academic institutions to support their research efforts.
Some of our most recent research covers human trafficking, gender-based violence, and statelessness. Our research, policy, and advocacy efforts are focussed around the following strategic priorities:
- ensuring our efforts are localised and rooted in community-centred partnerships that work in collaboration with our fellow Hong Kongers to create a fairer society;
- working for legislative and policy change alongside civil society organisations;
- providing technical support and advice to government officials and Legislative Council members;
- contributing positively to the social awareness of the clients we serve in the Hong Kong community, using both traditional and new media.
Working in Partnership
Collaboration is at the heart of our working model. Justice Centre Hong Kong is proud to be an active member of several local, regional and global rights networks. These networks enable us to ensure our services, partnerships, and advocacy/policy work are focused, relevant, and in line with larger-scale movements around the world.
Currently, we are members of the following networks:
- International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT)
- Inter-Agency Forum
- Hong Kong UPR Coalition (Hong Kong)
- Refugee Concern Network (Hong Kong)
- Hong Kong Civil Society Anti Human Trafficking Task Force
- The Business and Human Rights Forum (Hong Kong)
- The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
- The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN)
Our Services
Our direct services allow victims to access rehabilitation and redress through legal and social welfare assistance.
Our local, national and international research, policy and advocacy work is based on a unique expertise gained through our direct work.
Why it matters
We work with community members, advocates, lawyers, and allies of justice across Hong Kong to ensure that the most marginalised members of Hong Kong society have access to a fairer justice system.
We believe this work is both vital and invaluable to the continued health of Hong Kong society. But don’t take our word for it; hear from some of those we’ve worked with:
Publications
We publish many publications over on our research page. They cover various topics with in-depth analysis and case study discussions.
Social Welfare & Technical Assistance
We provide social welfare support services for our clients as well as training, technical assistance, and capacity-building for the wider civil society sector.
Our social welfare services are aimed at helping people access the services they are entitled to, including education, healthcare, and housing. Our clients often experience logistical hurdles and challenges to accessing the services they have the right to use, and our team helps them navigate the system.
This is particularly important because it is very difficult for our clients to focus on their legal cases if they don’t have food to eat or a place to live. Where it is not possible to access a service that they need, Justice Centre works in partnership with private organisations to fill those gaps, for example through the use of private speech therapy or mental health assistance.