Human Trafficking in [Hong Kong] [other countries]
Street Children in [Hong Kong] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Hong Kong] [other countries]
 

Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

Hong Kong [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

Hong Kong [map] is a special administrative region (SAR) of China adjacent to Guangdong Province in SE China, on the estuary of the Pearl River, 40 mi E of Macao and 90 mi SE of Guangzhou (Canton). The region comprises Hong Kong island, the Kowloon peninsula; and the New Territories. Its capital, Victoria, is commonly called Hong Kong and is located on the northwest shore of Hong Kong island. Hong Kong has a free market economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak battered Hong Kong's economy, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, a return of consumer confidence, and a solid rise in exports resulted in the resumption of strong growth.

Formerly a British crown colony, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs. Following two recessions in a six-year period, a boom in tourism from the mainland, a return of consumer confidence, and a solid rise in exports has resulted in the resumption of strong growth in late 2003 and in 2004

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China is a transit and destination territory for men and women trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Hong Kong is primarily a transit point for illegal migrants, some of whom are subject to conditions of debt bondage, sexual exploitation, and forced labor. To a lesser extent, Hong Kong is a destination for women from the Chinese mainland, Philippines, Indonesia, and Colombia who travel to Hong Kong voluntarily for prostitution or jobs in restaurants or hotels but are deceived or coerced into sexual servitude. Some of the foreign women involved in Hong Kong's commercial sex trade are believed to be trafficking victims. Estimates of international trafficking victims are modest; there have been many reports of debt bondage and confiscation of documents among women in prostitution - consistent with international definitions of trafficking. A small minority of women from the Philippines and Indonesia who go to Hong Kong to work as domestic servants are subjected to exploitation and conditions of involuntary servitude. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2007 [full country report]

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Hong Kong. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

Quick Search for Missing Children - Select Gender, Country (Hong Kong), and Years Missing

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

HONG KONG - TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – There is no law prohibiting trafficking in persons. There are various laws and ordinances that allow law enforcement authorities to take action against traffickers. Despite robust efforts by the SAR government to stop such activities, Hong Kong was a point of transit and destination for a small number of persons trafficked for sexual exploitation from China and Southeast Asia. It was difficult for the government to identify trafficking victims from among the larger group of illegal immigrants.

Nearly all foreign prostitutes came to Hong Kong willingly to engage in prostitution. Most came from rural areas of the mainland, Thailand, or the Philippines on 14-day tourist visas, although a very small number entered using forged documents. The overwhelming majority were women, although an increasing number of young men were coming to Hong Kong to work as homosexual prostitutes. While many came on their own, some were lured to the SAR by criminal syndicates and promises of financial rewards. Prostitutes were typically required to repay the syndicates the cost of their airfare, lodging, and food. Some were forced to stay in Hong Kong longer than they anticipated, or work more than they expected, to repay their debts. Prostitutes were sometimes required to give their passports to the syndicates until the debt was paid. When their visas expired, many would travel to Macau or Shenzhen for a day, and then re-enter Hong Kong. Immigration officials were well aware of this practice and would deny re-entry if they suspected such abuse. Despite the involvement of syndicates in bringing prostitutes to Hong Kong, very few women were lured to the SAR with false promises of legitimate employment and then forced, or coerced, to work as prostitutes.

Traffickers have used forged or illegally obtained travel documents to attempt to smuggle persons through the Hong Kong airport. In 2004 the immigration department established the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency to target human smugglers and other travelers using fraudulent documents. The agency had 60 officers stationed at the Hong Kong International Airport. The number of fraudulent documents seized at the airport declined sharply during the first half of the year due to the presence of these officers. Authorities apprehended 834 persons with forged travel documents in the first half of the year, versus 1,288 during the same period in 2004.

During the year there were no known reports of persons being trafficked into the SAR to work as domestic workers

Judges asked to clamp down on trafficking

"Malawian women are sold by Nigerian syndicates... to Germany, Italy and Belgium, and this all happens via South Africa." She said South Africans themselves were being trafficked to Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese traffickers were using Johannesburg as a transit point for Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, Majokweni said. Russian and Bulgarian women were exploited in private clubs and venues in Johannesburg.

Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 2 Status: Partly Free

ARCHIVES

2005 Trafficked in Hong Kong? Call the Action for REACH OUT hot line 852 2770-1002

2005 Filipinas are sweet-talked into accepting promises of good-paying jobs in Hong Kong

2005 Gonzalez orders crackdown in the trafficking & smuggling of young women to Hong Kong

2003 There is no official Action Plan in Hong Kong to combat trafficking

2003 Hong Kong welcomes US report on human trafficking

2003 University of Hong Kong, Research Projects and Issues > Trafficking Project

2002 Hong Kong sweatshop moguls operate in the Mariana Islands (a U.S. protectorate)

2002 Migrant Nightclub/Escort Workers in Hong Kong [PDF]

2001 Occasional Paper on Trafficking of Women into Hong Kong for the purpose of prostitution

2001 Round Table on Trafficking of Women into Hong Kong for the purposes of Prostitution

1993 Forced Prostitution of Filipinas in Hong Kong

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Human Trafficking in [Hong Kong] [other countries]
Street Children in [Hong Kong] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Hong Kong] [other countries]