In 2019, Allen & Overy (as Allen Overy Shearman Sterling (A&O Shearman) then was) was commissioned to conduct an analysis of Hong Kong legislation and certain Government policies in which a person’s relationship status was a factor as at 31 December 2018 (the 2019 Report). The 2019 Report identified widespread—yet inconsistently applied—instances of differential treatment based on relationship status across 21 separate areas of Hong Kong law and government policy. These disparities extended beyond individuals in alternative relationships, such as cohabiting couples, civil partnerships and same-sex marriages, impairing effective law enforcement and producing broader societal consequences. The findings were based on an unprecedented review of legislation in Hong Kong, covering 537 Ordinances
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