The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today said it vehemently opposes and rejects unfounded and false remarks about Hong Kong contained in the US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2024.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said trafficking in persons (TIP) is not prevalent in Hong Kong and that there has never been any evidence of the city being used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for TIP.

It said that the findings in the report are groundless, and that its inclusion of Hong Kong on the level of “Tier 2 (Watch List)” is unfair, misconceived, and not substantiated by facts.

Reiterating its proactive and multi-pronged efforts in confronting TIP, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it has injected enormous resources into combatting it and protecting foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong.

It said it spares no effort in conducting initial screenings of all persons vulnerable to TIP risks, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, FDHs, imported workers and other suspected victims.

Around 11,000 initial screenings were conducted in 2023, up 45% from 2022. The Hong Kong SAR Government said that as a result of its heightened anti-trafficking efforts and increased screenings, only three victims were identified, which demonstrates that TIP is not prevalent in Hong Kong.

The statement stressed that it is baseless and unfair to cast doubt on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s determination in combatting TIP or the quality of its screenings merely because of the low number of victims identified.

In December 2019, an FDH Special Investigation Section was established in the Immigration Department to increase scrutiny of FDH visa applications so as to identify potential TIP victims and cases of exploited FDHs.

In 2023, around 1,900 officers from various government bureaus and departments, and other relevant organisations, attended TIP-related training, representing an increase of over 58% compared with 2022.

This year, a new arrangement was established to provide workshops on combating TIP for frontline staff at Hong Kong International Airport. Over 100 staff members have participated in such workshops to date.

Moreover, the Hong Kong SAR Government has continued its close co-operation with local consulates general in arranging regular sharing sessions to raise TIP awareness among new FDHs.

Responding to remarks in the report regarding the supposed lack of composite trafficking legislation in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong SAR Government said its current legislative framework – which comprises over 50 legal provisions against TIP – provides a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to composite TIP laws found in other jurisdictions.

The statement emphasised that every jurisdiction should have latitude to determine the best legal framework to tackle TIP and that Hong Kong’s legal framework has served it well.

It added that judicial rulings in recent years have affirmed on various occasions that the Hong Kong SAR Government had no positive obligation to enact and maintain an offence specifically criminalising the relevant activities prohibited under Article 4 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights (BOR 4), and that it would have a wide margin of discretion in the manner of compliance with its obligations under BOR 4.

There is no indication that the effectiveness of Hong Kong’s anti-TIP efforts has in any way been undermined by not having composite trafficking legislation, the Hong Kong SAR Government said.

A high-level steering committee, established in March 2018, promulgated an Action Plan to Tackle TIP and to Enhance Protection of FDHs in Hong Kong, with multi-faceted, comprehensive, strategic and targeted measures being put in place by the end of 2019.

The statement pointed out that the legal framework for safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR is fully compliant with international standards for the protection of human rights, adding that legislation safeguarding national security only targets a very small number of organisations and individuals that endanger national security.

The Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that it attaches great importance to protecting the FDHs in Hong Kong, who number around 360,000, adding that as a responsible member of the international community, the city will continue its firm commitment to combatting TIP.