Human trafficking in Hong Kong: an explainer
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Hong Kong, a city commonly associated with wealth, advancement and safety, has been lagging behind in its fight against human trafficking, various international reports suggested.
What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is rife around the globe. Profits from human trafficking are estimated to be US$150 billion annually, according to the International Labour Organisation.
The United Nations (UN) defines human trafficking as practice of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation. It can include, but does not require, movement. That means people could be considered trafficking victims, regardless of whether they were exploited in their home town or abroad. It exists in various forms, from child labour, forced labour, debt bondage to sex trafficking.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Palermo Protocols in 2000 as an international benchmark to criminalise traffickers, protect trafficking victims and outline preventive measures. Hong Kong is currently not a party to the UN Palermo Protocols while other places, for example, mainland China, Japan and Thailand are one of the signatories.
What are the criticisms towards Hong Kong?
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report by the United States (US) government
The city’s rating was downgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List, considered to be on par with developing countries such as Thailand, Cuba and Sri Lanka, in the 2016 TIP report. Hong Kong was lowered from Tier 1 to Tier 2 since 2009,
There are four tiers in total, countries placed in Tier 1 are committed to combat human trafficking while those in Tier 3 are not making efforts to do so. Tier 2 Watch List, in which Hong Kong is placed, suggests the governments do not fully meet the minimum standards to fight trafficking, but are making significant efforts to meet those standard.
The report stated that the metropolis is primarily a destination, the transit and to a much lesser extent, a source territory for people subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
It says, “Hong Kong does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.” Although it is establishing significant measures, “the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period.”
It urges the government to enact a comprehensive anti – trafficking law in line with the 2000 United Nations (UN) Palermo Protocol, and proactively identify and protect both sex and labour trafficking victims.
In the reply email of our enquiry, Hong Kong’s Security Bureau rejects the city’s grading in the report and expresses regret over the findings, saying it completely disregards its continuous and strenuous efforts to combat human trafficking. The Hong Kong government does not agree that Hong Kong is a destination, transit and source territory for sex trafficking and forced labour. The government insists that contemporary laws are sufficient to cope with the issue.
Global Slavery Index by Walk Free Foundation
Hong Kong is one of the most enslaved territories across Asia when measured in terms of the ratio of amount of government action to gross domestic product (GDP), according to Global Slavery Index 2016, which assessed the problem in 167 regions around the world.
An estimated 29,500 people are suffering from human trafficking in this rich and fast-growing city, taking the ninth highest spot in Asia by proportion of people classified as slaves (0.404 per cent). Comparably, mainland China is ranked at 14th in Asia. However, at least 3.39 million people in the country are enslaved, making it among the top five in the world in terms of number of people enslaved.
The report points out Hong Kong “is one country in a group of wealthiest countries that has taken relatively limited action due to low level of recognition that modern slavery occurs.”
Identified as the top ten governments taking the least action to combat the problem by GDP, the city becomes one of the worst offenders in Asia, performing worse than the Philippines and mainland China.
According to South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong government argues that the report paints an incomplete picture as it relies on information supplied by partnering non–governmental organisations, and lacks verification from the government.
