About Me

Dr Carmen Yau is a full-time Lecturer in Social Work in the Goldsmiths, University of London. Carmen has a solid educational and professional background. Carmen obtained a PhD degree at the Department of Applied Social Sciences of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2023. She received her Master of Social Work from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Professional Diploma in Health Counselling from Hong Kong Baptist University, Bachelor of Social Sciences (Psychology) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a certified sexuality educator. She is also a Mental Health First Aid Champion awarded by the MHFA England.  Her research relates to health management, sexuality, narrative practice, disability, caregiving and social work practice in technology as well as the implementation of UN CRPD and CEDAW.

Carmen is a multi-award-winning advocate in the community of the disabled. In 2021, she was nominated for UN Women’s Rise and Raise Other Award as an acknowledgement of achievements that she has made supporting and inspiring women and girls all over the world. In 2020, She was the third-place winner in Tatler’s Hot List of “Sixteen Women Fighting for Fairness in Asia”. She won Spirit of Hong Kong in 2013 and few more awards like Regeneration Warrior 2017 and Life Driver 2016 in the disability community.

Carmen is a global disability expert who promotes radical changes for all. She devotes her passion and time to addressing the intersectionality of disabled women. She promotes and raises public awareness of interpersonal violence against disabled women by publishing research and presenting at international conferences. Carmen also conducted impactful research on the health inequality of disabled women, promoting independent living, welfare, and support for caregivers with disabilities. Her ambition is to advocate disability and gender mainstreaming. Over the years she developed a strong partnership with shareholders from disability and women communities at the local, regional and international levels.

In August 2022, Carmen was the only disability advocate to represent Hong Kong China at the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Geneva. She demonstrated great passion and critical thinking in conceptualising inequality issues with solid literature support and research-based evidence. She presented one report on rights and equality issues about disabled women in the Chinese community. She also presented a confidential report on the political rights and health inequality of disabled people and those who acquired disabilities as the consequences of social unrest. She also raised the urgency of strategic planning to address PTSD and other implications after social unrest. Carmen also helped to address issues related to forced marriage among disabled women and disabled human rights defenders in prison as well as contributing her lived experience related to forced migration.
 

During her lobbying work in Geneva, she has proven to the UNCRPD committee and collaborators that her rocky journey from Hong Kong to London made her a strong global changemaker.