This photo taken on April 1, 2022 shows the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region vehemently refuted the assessment on Friday about Hong Kong in the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2023 of the Department of State of the United States.
The government noted the rating of Hong Kong was adjusted upward to Tier 2 in the report and strongly disapproved of the unsubstantiated remarks in the US' report about the situation of Hong Kong, a spokesperson said in a statement.
“TIP is never a prevalent problem in Hong Kong, and there has never been any sign that Hong Kong is being actively used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for trafficking in persons,” the spokesperson pointed out.
The government had been making proactive and multi-pronged efforts in the fight against the trafficking, and injected an enormous amount of resources to enhance the protection and well-being of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong, the spokesperson said.
Trafficking in persons is never a prevalent problem in Hong Kong, and there has never been any sign that Hong Kong is being actively used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for trafficking in persons.
The HKSAR government
For example, a high-level Steering Committee to Tackle TIP and to Enhance Protection of FDHs was established in March 2018 and it promulgated the action plan with multi-faceted and targeted measures.
In 2022, the government spared no effort to conduct initial screenings of all persons vulnerable to risks of trafficking in persons, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, FDHs, and imported workers and other suspected victims, who came to the attention of the departments concerned.
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“The HKSAR government reiterates its commitment to safeguarding the employment rights and benefits of FDHs, who are offered statutory protection under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) as well as additional benefits in accordance with a government-prescribed Standard Employment Contract,” the spokesperson said.
The Foreign Domestic Helpers Division of the Labour Department rendered one-stop support for FDHs, including maintaining a dedicated 24-hour hotline for FDHs, providing advice on employment matters, assisting FDHs to seek help from relevant authorities, cooperating with consulates general, and publicizing the rights and benefits of FDHs, the spokesperson added.
Two men enter the Central Government Offices in Tamar, Hong Kong on April 1, 2022. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
In 2022, around 1,200 frontline officers of the government received anti-TIP training and some 7,600 initial screenings were conducted with a record-high of 32 TIP victims identified, the spokesperson said, adding that among the 32 TIP victims, one of them involved a foreigner being trafficked into Hong Kong, while 31 were related to Hong Kong residents involved in the employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries being trafficked out of Hong Kong.
The HKSAR government reiterates its commitment to safeguarding the employment rights and benefits of FDHs, who are offered statutory protection under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) as well as additional benefits in accordance with a government-prescribed Standard Employment Contract.
The HKSAR government
“The swift identification of 31 victims from the employment fraud, in particular, speaks for the effectiveness of the HKSAR government's TIP victim screening mechanism and the fact that TIP is never tolerated in Hong Kong,” the spokesperson stressed.
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On the so-called claim about the lack of composite trafficking legislation, the spokesman said the current legislative framework, which comprises over 50 legal provisions against various TIP conducts, provided a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to composite TIP laws found in other jurisdictions and had served Hong Kong well.
“It is most inconceivable for the US Department of State to ignore the HKSAR government's strenuous efforts in combating TIP, persistently attack our multi-legislation approach, and insist that Hong Kong must introduce a composite TIP law, which totally expose the US' double standards,” the spokesperson pointed out.
The police continued to commit significant efforts to combating vice activities including prostitutions in 2022. Some 60 anti-vice operations were mounted and over 300 persons were arrested for the offence of keeping a vice establishment or prostitution-related crimes under the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200), representing a year-on-year 10 percent increase in terms of the number of arrestees, the spokesperson said.
This undated photo shows the headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The spokesman said the current legislative framework, which comprises over 50 legal provisions against various TIP conducts, provides a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to composite TIP laws found in other jurisdictions and has served Hong Kong well
The Labour Department also took rigorous enforcement actions against employment agencies, including overcharging commission from job seekers, unlicensed operation, withholding of personal properties of FDHs, or being involved in the financial affairs of FDHs such as money lending, the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the US Department of State's remarks about the Hong Kong National Security Law in the Report amounted to nothing but sheer political smears against Hong Kong, said the spokesperson, adding that any law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies were based on evidence, according to the law, and for the acts of the persons concerned.
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“As a responsible member of the international community, the HKSAR government will continue its firm commitment to contributing to the global efforts for this important cause,” the spokesperson said.
