The government has reacted strongly to last week’s latest US human trafficking report, which it described as “unfair” and containing “false” conclusions and “unsubstantiated” allegations.
According to the statement issued by the Office of Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak on Friday, the allegations made by the US State Department’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) that Macau is a transit territory for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour are based on “false interpretations, unsubstantiated deductions and unreasonable speculation.”
The statement issued by Wong’s office on Friday insists that the local government “is strongly determined to combat human trafficking crimes” through its Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee.
The US report maintained Macau on its Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year, claiming that the local government “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of [human] trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
Tier 2 Watch List is the US State Department’s “second best” among its 4-tier system.
