The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly reprimands and resolutely refutes the baseless, slanderous remarks about Hong Kong in the US Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report 2026.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said in the statement today that it vehemently opposes and firmly rejects the categorically false and groundless remarks in the so-called Report on Hong Kong's efforts to tackle trafficking in persons (TIP).

It pointed out that the rating of Hong Kong at Tier 3 is entirely unfounded and represents a blatant attempt to tarnish Hong Kong's sterling reputation.

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

The statement stressed 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 continued to spare no effort in conducting initial screenings for all people vulnerable to TIP risks, who had come to the attention of the relevant departments, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, FDHs, imported workers and other suspected victims

It conducted around 12,100 initial screenings last year, a 7% increase compared with the year prior, and identified 15 TIP victims.

Among these victims, all of whom were Hong Kong residents involved in employment fraud in Southeast Asian countries. The Hong Kong SAR Government said it took swift actions to return them to the city, identifying them, rigorously investigating their individual cases and prosecuting those implicated, underscoring its commitment to tackling the scourge of TIP.

The statement emphasised that it is baseless for the report to cast doubt on Hong Kong's victim screening efforts, especially when studies and reports within the US have highlighted systematic underreporting of human trafficking cases by domestic law enforcement in the US.

In response to the report's repeated insistence that Hong Kong should enact dedicated trafficking legislation, the Hong Kong SAR Government said that the current legislative framework, which comprises over 50 legal provisions against various TIP conducts, provides a comprehensive package of safeguards comparable to dedicated TIP laws found in some jurisdictions.

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