The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said today that it vehemently objects to groundless remarks about Hong Kong contained in the US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2025.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it resolutely refutes categorically false and baseless remarks in the report regarding Hong Kong’s efforts to tackle trafficking in persons (TIP).

It iterated that TIP has never been prevalent in Hong Kong, and that there has never been any sign that the city is used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for TIP.

The statement added that the report’s rating of Hong Kong as a “Tier 2 (Watch List)” location is utterly unfair, without basis in fact, and a blatant attempt to smear Hong Kong’s reputation.

The statement also highlighted that the Hong Kong SAR Government has long adopted a proactive, multi-pronged strategy in the fight against TIP, with substantial resources being injected into combatting TIP and enhancing protection for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong.

Over the last year, it said, the Hong Kong SAR Government has continued to spare no effort in conducting initial screenings for all persons vulnerable to TIP risks who had come to the attention of relevant departments, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, FDHs, imported workers and other suspected victims.

It conducted around 11,300 initial screenings last year, a 3% increase compared with the year prior, and identified eight TIP victims.

Among these, seven were Hong Kong residents involved in employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said its swift actions in returning the residents to the city, identifying them as TIP victims, rigorously investigating their individual cases and prosecuting those implicated underscore its commitment to tackling the scourge of TIP.

The statement emphasised that it is totally baseless for the report to cast doubt on the Hong Kong SAR Government’s determination to combat TIP and the quality of the city’s screenings simply because of the low number of victims identified.

As a responsible member of the international community, the Hong Kong SAR Government remains steadfast in the fight against TIP, the statement added.

The Hong Kong SAR Government also noted, with regard to unsubstantiated remarks in the report about a lack of composite trafficking legislation in Hong Kong, that the current legislative framework, which comprises over 50 legal provisions against various TIP infractions, provides a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to composite TIP laws found in other jurisdictions.

The statement stressed that every jurisdiction should have latitude to determine the best legal framework to tackle the issue and that there is simply no one-size-fits-all solution.