The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Tuesday vehemently opposed and resolutely refuted what it termed “false and baseless remarks” about the city in the Trafficking in Persons Report 2025 of the US Department of State.

Trafficking in persons has never been 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, a spokesman for the HKSAR government said in a statement.

“The rating of Hong Kong at Tier 2 (Watch List) is utterly unfair, without basis in fact, and a blatant attempt to smear Hong Kong's reputation,” reads the statement.

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The SAR government has all along adopted a proactive, multi-pronged strategy in the fight against trafficking in persons, and substantial resources have been injected into combating it and enhancing protection for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong, said the spokesman.

The government spared no effort in conducting initial screenings for all persons vulnerable to trafficking risks, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, FDHs, imported workers, and other suspected victims, who had come to the attention of the departments concerned, according to the spokesman.

Pointing out that the government conducted around 11,300 initial screenings in 2024 – a 3-percent increase year-on-year – and identified eight victims of trafficking in persons, the spokesman said seven of the victims were Hong Kong residents involved in employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries.

Swift actions in returning the residents to Hong Kong, identifying them as victims of trafficking in persons, rigorously investigating the cases, and prosecuting those implicated underscore the government’s commitment to tackling the issue, said the spokesman.

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“It is totally baseless for the (State Department) report to cast doubt on our determination in combating trafficking in persons and the quality of our screenings simply because of the low number of victims identified. As a responsible member of the international community, we remain steadfast in our fight against trafficking in persons."

Legal framework, robust enforcement

Referring to the unsubstantiated remarks in the US report about the lack of composite trafficking legislation in Hong Kong, the government said its current legislative framework provides a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to composite laws on trafficking in persons in other jurisdictions.

“In fact, our legal framework has served Hong Kong well,” it said, adding that the Court of Final Appeal has also affirmed in various rulings that the HKSAR government had no positive obligation to enact and maintain a criminal offense specifically criminalizing the relevant activities prohibited under the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

On law enforcement, the government said in 2024, total 102 anti-vice operations were mounted, an increase of 46 percent compared with the previous year, and 254 persons were arrested for keeping a vice establishment or prostitution-related crimes.

Speaking about job scam cases where victims were lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work, the government said two persons arrested in 2022 were convicted of conspiracy to defraud in November 2024 and were sentenced to 56 months' and 36 months' imprisonment.

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Regarding the protection of FDHs, police arrested 41 employers in relation to physical or sexual abuse last year. Separately, 71 FDH employers were prosecuted for aiding and abetting their FDHs in breaching the latter's conditions of stay, with 38 employers convicted.

Safeguarding national security

Stressing that the legal framework in safeguarding national security in the HKSAR is fully in compliance with the international standard for the protection of human rights, the spokesman said the SAR government has been steadfastly combating trafficking in persons in an all-out and highly proactive manner.

A high-level steering committee – established in March 2018 to provide policy steer on actions against trafficking in persons and protection of FDHs – promulgated an action plan to tackle trafficking in persons and to enhance protection of FDHs in Hong Kong, firmly put in place multi-faceted, comprehensive, strategic and targeted measures by the end of 2019 to cover victim identification, investigation, enforcement, prosecution, victim protection and support, prevention, and partnership with different stakeholders, added the spokesman.