VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHK #0584/01 0601007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 011007Z MAR 07
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0724
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 0126
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1973
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 1670
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY 3268
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 0409
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 5096
RUEHUM/AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR PRIORITY 1122
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS HONG KONG 000584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI, EAP/RSP, EAP/CM, 
USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KWMN KFRD ASEC ELAB PHUM PINR PGOV PREF
SMIG, HK, CH, MC 
SUBJECT: 2007 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT:  HONG KONG 
 
REF: SECSTATE 00202745 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Per the ref, the following are post's contributions 
to the seventh annual Trafficking in Persons report for the 
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the 
People's Republic of China.  (Note:  Per instructions, 
subheadings, questions, and paragraph letters correspond to 
those in paragraphs 27-30 of ref.  End note.) 
 
Overview of Trafficking Problem 
------------------------------- 
 
(A) (U) Is the jurisdiction one of origin, transit, or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children?  Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for 
each group; how they were trafficked, to where, and for what 
purpose.  (Note:  Questions regarding territory outside the 
government's control are not applicable.  End note.)  Are any 
estimates or reliable numbers available as to the extent or 
magnitude of the problem?  What is (are) the source(s) of 
available information on trafficking in persons or what plans 
are in place (if any) to undertake documentation of 
trafficking?  How reliable are the numbers and these sources? 
 Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being 
trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, 
certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? 
 
-- (SBU) Hong Kong is not a significant point of origin, 
transit, or destination for internationally trafficked men, 
women, or children.  Although the Government's numbers differ 
slightly from those of non-governmental organizations, the 
highest reliable estimate -- provided by an international 
non-governmental organization -- was 15 cases of trafficking 
in women throughout the reporting period.  The Government 
reported only one case of trafficking and two cases of 
suspected trafficking.  Hong Kong's professional and 
disciplined law enforcement officers, its highly developed 
and firmly established rule of law, independent judiciary, 
active human rights groups, and vigilant press corps 
contribute to a system in which trafficking cases are 
judiciously reported and victims can receive appropriate 
protection and assistance.  Women from mainland China, 
Southeast Asia, and elsewhere continued to travel to Hong 
Kong of their own volition to engage in prostitution, and no 
major changes in the direction or magnitude of trafficking 
have been evident over the last year. 
 
-- (SBU) Criminal organizations reportedly provided 
assistance for some of these women to travel from their home 
countries, enter Hong Kong, and/or establish themselves in 
the city.  The terms of repayment for such "employment 
assistance" can reportedly be onerous, often more onerous 
than the women were initially led to believe.  Living and 
working conditions also can be problematic, according to NGO 
and press reports, involving close monitoring -- including 
confinement -- during off hours, crowded boarding 
arrangements, confiscated identity documents, and long 
working hours.  The authorities investigate reports of such 
activities promptly.  Organizers of prostitution rings, 
whether or not involving trafficked persons, are prosecuted 
under laws that criminalize profiting from the proceeds of 
another person's prostitution or other relevant statutes. 
 
-- (SBU) Although Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 
Government (HKSARG) offices, human rights and other NGOs, 
academics, and the media in the past often have not agreed on 
what constitutes trafficking, the information available from 
these sources regarding aspects of possible trafficking and 
related human smuggling is generally reliable. 
 
(B) (U) Please provide a general overview of the trafficking 
situation in the jurisdiction and any changes since the last 
TIP Report (e.g. changes in direction).  Also briefly explain 
the political will to address trafficking in persons.  Other 
items to address may include:  What kind of conditions are 
the victims trafficked into?  Which populations are targeted 
by the traffickers?  Who are the traffickers?  What methods 
are used to approach victims? (Are they offered lucrative 
jobs, sold by their families, approached by friends of 
friends, etc.?)  What methods are used to move the victims 
(e.g., are false documents being used?). 
 
-- (SBU) An international air, sea and land traffic hub, 
handling many million travelers and ocean-going shipping 
containers annually, located in a migrant-producing region, 
Hong Kong is -- despite vigorous counter-efforts -- a place 
through which would-be illegal migrants seek to pass on their 
way from China and other nations to third countries. 
According to government statistics, in 2006, the Hong Kong 
authorities intercepted 3,173 illegal immigrants, compared to 
2,191 during 2005.  In most cases, these migrants transit 
Hong Kong of their own volition on fraudulent documents that 
they have purchased.  No one knows how many of the intending 
illegal migrants who transit Hong Kong are trafficked. 
However, given that these migrants often are assisted in 
their travel by human smuggling organizations, and given what 
is known about the working conditions of most PRC-origin 
illegal immigrants who reach their destinations in the United 
States or elsewhere, it is reasonable to suspect that some of 
these people are "trafficked" in the sense that they are 
subjected to debt bondage and/or forced labor upon arrival in 
the destination countries. 
 
-- (SBU) Hong Kong's wealthy society is also a destination 
point for intending migrants, including a relatively small 
number who may fit the broad definition of "trafficked 
persons" used for this report.  Each year, Hong Kong law 
enforcement authorities catch several thousand illegal 
immigrants, many with forged travel documents, attempting to 
enter or transit Hong Kong.  While Hong Kong law enforcement 
officials are trained to identify trafficking cases, and are 
supported by sophisticated border control technologies, it is 
possible that a small number of illegal immigrants are 
trafficking victims. 
 
-- (SBU) Cases of trafficking recorded in the HKSAR are rare. 
 Most illegal immigrants who enter Hong Kong aiming to engage 
in unlawful employment come on their own volition, and there 
is rarely evidence of force, fraud or coercion.  Some women 
reportedly come to Hong Kong for legal employment, but find 
themselves deliberately placed in a situation by their 
employer that pressures them into turning to prostitution. 
For example, some women recruited to perform as dancers in 
nightclubs find it difficult to repay the debts incurred in 
coming to Hong Kong without supplementing their basic 
salaries.  Although usually not coerced into prostitution, 
many of these women reportedly find it difficult to pursue 
alternative employment. 
 
-- (SBU) As Hong Kong is a major transportation hub in the 
region, the government has consistently considered human 
trafficking as an area of concern.  Therefore, the HKSARG's 
law enforcement agencies, namely the Customs and Excise 
Department, the Immigration Department and the Hong Kong 
Police Force, together with relevant departments and 
stakeholders including INTERPOL and overseas and mainland 
counterparts, as well as local consulates and relevant 
industries, work closely to combat trafficking. 
 
(C)  (U) What are the limitations on the government's ability 
to address this problem in practice?  For example, is funding 
for police or other institutions inadequate?  Is overall 
corruption a problem?  Does the government lack the resources 
to aid victims? 
 
-- (SBU) There is no particular limitation on the 
Government's ability to combat trafficking where Hong Kong is 
a destination.  However, trafficking-related activities that 
skirt the edge f -- but do not violate -- the law, and 
victims' esperation, complicity, fear and/or ignorance oftheir rights make complete elimination of the probem very 
difficult. 
 
-- (SBU) The HKSARG has mantained close liaison and 
cooperation with oversas counterparts, relevant inustry and 
local consulates as part of its anti-trafficking efforts.  In 
this connection, the Police had received one report from the 
Philippines Consul General