The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) was established as an independent statutory body under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance in May 1996 and started full operation in September that year. The commission is tasked to oversee the implementation of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, the Disability Discrimination Ordinance and the Family Status Discrimination Ordinance. The functions of the commission include handling complaints, encouraging conciliation, providing assistance to aggrieved persons, and undertaking public education, research and training programmes to promote equal opportunities in the community. In 2002, the commission handled 10 385 enquiries and 1 749 complaints relating to the three anti-discrimination ordinances; 406 complaint cases were conciliated.