Hong Kong denounces US report on human trafficking 'false and unfounded'

Alysha Bibi

Hong Kong “strongly opposed” a US move to downgrade the city in its latest report on combating human trafficking, calling accusations about trafficked foreign domestic workers “false and unfounded”.

The rebuttal came after the US State Department released its 2024 Human Trafficking Report on Monday, which saw Hong Kong downgraded from Tier 2 to the Tier 2 Watch List, one level in below the second to third level of the four levels. ladder.

In the report, the United States criticized Hong Kong, saying foreign domestic workers remained at high risk of trafficking and that local authorities had failed to take adequate measures to identify and protect victims.

Although SAR authorities screened thousands of vulnerable people for trafficking, they only managed to identify three victims, down from the previous reporting period which identified 32 victims, according to the US report.

The report also mentions that the government “failed to provide services to any victims”, highlighting among other problems the lack of interpretation services.

The SAR said yesterday that it “vehemently opposes and strongly rejects the unfounded and false remarks contained in the report,” calling the report's findings “baseless…unjust, ill-conceived and unsupported by facts “.

It adds: “There is no indication that Hong Kong is actively used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for human trafficking. It is baseless and unfair to question our resolve to combat human trafficking and the quality of our efforts. screenings simply because of the low number of victims identified.

Some 11,000 initial checks of people vulnerable to trafficking were carried out in 2023, an increase of 45% from the previous year, officials added.

Officials also reiterated the city's ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking activities.

“The Foreign Domestic Workers Division of the Ministry of Labor, for example, provides comprehensive support to foreign domestic workers, helping them seek assistance from relevant law enforcement authorities,” authorities said. .

“Last month, the ministry even strengthened its Code of Practice for employment agencies to strengthen the protection of foreign domestic workers.”