The Promotion of Socially Inclusive East Asian Society: the Hong Kong Case

This study explores ethnic minority youths’ experiences of discrimination via the conceptual framework of social cohesion + social justice (inclusive of social harmony) = a socially inclusive Hong Kong. A small-scale qualitative research study was employed consisting of two focus groups, which included 13 ethnic-Pakistani aged 12- to 17-year olds in Hong Kong. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. In this study, Pakistani school-going youth reported experiencing different levels of discrimination. Two central themes emerged in the conceptualization of discrimination: (a) gender discrimination in youth’s own ethnic community and larger society reported by female Pakistani youth and (b) ethnic discrimination in broader Hong Kong society, mostly reported by male Pakistani youth. The findings of this study may highlight the importance of social cohesion, defined as unity among all members of a community for the betterment of society, which can be integrated into practice and implemented in social policy.