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FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7022
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 HONG KONG 000387 
 
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y //SENSITIVE CAPTION LINE ADDED// 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, G-ACBLANK, DRL, INL, PRM, EAP/RSP, EAP/CM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB HK MC CH
SUBJECT: SUBMISSION FOR 2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT: 
MACAU 
 
REF: A. STATE 132759 
     ¶B. 08 HONG KONG 2092 
     ¶C. 08 HONG KONG 2123 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  001.2 OF 007 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Per reftel, the following are post's contributions 
to the ninth annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 
the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the 
People's Republic of China.  (Note:  Per instructions, 
subheadings and paragraph letters correspond to those in 
paragraphs 23-27 of ref.  End note.) 
 
¶2. (SBU) Comment: The Macau Special Administrative Region 
Government (MSARG) continued to demonstrate a growing 
commitment to tackle the full range of human trafficking 
issues in Macau.  Armed with a comprehensive anti-trafficking 
law passed in June 2008, the MSARG made concrete and 
recognizable progress in the investigation, prosecution, and 
prevention of trafficking in persons. In addition, an array 
of services are available to meet the financial, 
psychological, economic, and legal needs of victims.  Law 
enforcement and immigration authorities, however, acknowledge 
the continuing challenge of identifying trafficking victims 
from among the larger group of illegal migrants, some of whom 
willingly engage in prostitution.  MSARG authorities are 
actively seeking training from foreign counterparts, and post 
will continue to seek opportunities to bring relevant USG 
training to help Macau improve their interview and 
investigative techniques.  The MSARG has prosecuted two 
trafficking cases since the new law, and 20 other cases are 
under investigation.  Post will continue to urge the MSARG to 
pursue TIP prosecutions, and will seek opportunities to 
support MSARG  anti-TIP efforts, both through the 
interactions with Post's law enforcement elements and 
appropriate training programs and specialist exchanges.  End 
comment. 
 
 
THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION: 
---------------------------- 
 
¶A. (SBU) Beginning in 2007, the Macau Special Administrative 
Region government (MSARG) began compiling data on trafficking 
cases to respond to USG queries in advance of the annual TIP 
report.  The inter-departmental Human Trafficking Deterrent 
Measures Concern Committee has a subgroup responsible for 
gathering relevant data from the different departments 
involved in anti-trafficking efforts.  Several Hong 
Kong-based non-government organizations (NGOs) assist sex 
workers and migrants in Macau, and provide post with their 
observations and findings. Local English and Chinese-language 
media are increasingly reporting on MSARG TIP policy 
developments and cases possibly involving elements of 
trafficking. 
 
¶B. (SBU) The MSAR essentially is not a source of trafficked 
persons, but is a destination and transit point for illegal 
migration, labor and prostitution. Many women and girls, 
primarily from mainland China and to a lesser extent, from 
Russia, Mongolia and Southeast Asia, continue to travel to 
Macau of their own volition to engage in legal prostitution. 
However, some are lured to Macau by acquaintances and/or 
criminal syndicates by false promises of jobs in casinos or 
other types of legitimate employment.  Once in Macau, they 
are forced into prostitution, and in some cases held captive, 
either by force or use of threats. 
 
¶C. (SBU) According to NGO and press reports, living and 
working conditions for victims trafficked to Macau for 
prostitution are poor.  Arrangements probably involve close 
monitoring during off hours, crowded boarding arrangements, 
confiscated identity documents, long working hours, and 
threats of violence.  Macau authoritiesinvestigated reports 
of such activities promptly  Organizers of prostitution 
rings, whether or not involved in trafficked persons, are 
prosecuted nder laws that criminalize profiting from the 
prceeds of another person's prostitution.  Prostituton 
itself is not illegal in Macau. 
 
¶D. (SBU) Peviously identified trafficking victim have 
primarily been women from the Chinese mainland, and to a 
lesser extent, women from Vietnam, Mongolia, Russia, and 
several other Southeast Asia countries.  MSARG officials tell 
us most of the mainland Chinese victims are from inland 
provinces who had previously made their way to the border 
province of Guangdong in search of better employment. It is 
usually in Guangdong where they fall prey to false 
advertisements for dancers or "PR hostesses" in Macau. 
 
¶E. (SBU) MSARG officials contend their investigations of 
trafficking cases thus far have only uncovered a "limited 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  002.2 OF 007 
 
 
amount" of organized crime involvement in prostitution cases; 
rather, "street-side prostitutes are often on their own, and 
only hotels and nightclubs usually have an organized crime 
element."  The introduction of the Individual Visitor Scheme 
(IVS) in 2003, which allowed tourists from certain mainland 
cities and provinces to enter Macau on an individual basis, 
made it possible for most prostitutes to enter Macau on their 
own, though some still seek the help of pimps, either because 
they are unaware that they can obtain visas on their own or 
because they need logistical and financial help with travel 
and housing.  While the IVS has weakened the role of pimps in 
Macau's sex industry, law enforcement officials believe that 
Chinese, Russian and Thai criminal syndicates are still 
involved in bringing prostitutes into Macau. 
 
-- (SBU) Most victims are typically told they were coming to 
Macau to work as dancers.  While it is hard to quantify, 
anecdotal information suggests many of the exploiters are 
independent operators or part of small groups.  It is often 
nearly impossible to determine whether street-level 
individual operators are part of larger organized syndicates 
without extensive evidence and corroborating witnesses. 
 
 
SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶A. (SBU) The MSARG, both publicly and in discussions with us, 
has acknowledged that trafficking is a problem requiring 
dedicated attention and resources of the government. 
Although somewhat reluctant to discuss the issue in the past, 
Macau authorities now are fully committed to and aggressively 
combating human trafficking.  Most recently, the government 
in its section of China's national report to the United 
Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review 
pledged to continue tackling human trafficking. 
 
¶B. (SBU) In September 2007, the MSARG established an 
inter-departmental "concern committee" charged with overall 
strategic planning, coordination and implementation of the 
government's anti-trafficking efforts.  The committee, titled 
the "Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee," 
consists of 12 representatives from the Security, 
Administration and Justice, Social Welfare and Culture 
departments.  Cheong Kwoc Va, the Secretary for Security, 
leads the committee and his Head of Office is the managing 
coordinator.  The Chief Executive has directed that all 
government departments should cooperate with the committee's 
activities.  According to the government gazette (similar to 
the U.S. Federal Register), the committee is responsible for: 
(1) studying and assessing TIP-related social problems; and 
(2) suggesting and supervising each department's efforts to 
combat human trafficking.  The committee aims to coordinate 
and assist the development of measures to prevent trafficking 
and protect victims, as well as to assist victims to 
reintegrate into society.  The directive also tasked the 
committee to promote international and regional cooperation 
in the fight against trafficking.  Committee members told us 
the entire group meets monthly to assess the progress of 
initiatives currently in place and discuss future programs 
and measures.  The Health Department, Immigration Department, 
and the Public Prosecutions Office also are responsible for 
various aspects of the trafficking issue. 
 
¶C. (SBU) Macau continues to experience challenges stemming 
from recent explosive economic growth that has strained the 
capacity of many government departments.  The Macau 
government has benefited from dramatic growth in revenues, 
and is well-funded.  Law enforcement officials on several 
occasions have acknowledged, however, they need to improve 
their victim identification  and investigative capabilities. 
 
-- (SBU) Despite rigorous efforts and notable achievements by 
the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), Macau still faces 
major challenges and constraints to creating a society free 
of corruption. CCAC Commissioner in October 2008 acknowledged 
Macau's degrading "corruption index" by Transparency 
International was "fair", pledging to strengthen CCAC's 
capacity to tackle corruption both in the public and private 
sectors (a bill is currently being drafted to expand CCAC 
jurisdiction to the private sector.)  CCAC investigated 796 
cases in 2008, a 8.2 percent increase from the preceding 
year. 
 
¶D. (SBU) The inter-departmental Human Trafficking Deterrent 
Measures Concern Committee serves as the vehicle for 
systematically coordinating the MSARG's anti-trafficking 
efforts.  The committee meets monthly t assess the 
government's performance on all aspets of the trafficking 
issue, and submits semi-anual reports to Chief Executive 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  003.2 OF 007 
 
 
Edmund Ho.   These self-assessments are not shared with the 
public or post. However, throughout the reporting period, 
committee members regularly provided Post with updates on the 
MSARG's anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
-- (SBU) A concern committee member recently informed post of 
plans in 2009 to contract a local university to conduct an 
independent and comprehensive evaluation of the TIP situation 
in Macau and the concern committee's performance to date. 
The committee also plans to launch a website later in the 
year as a platform for both general public education about 
TIP and specific government policies and initiatives. 
 
 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. (SBU) The MSARG in June 2008 passed a comprehensive 
anti-trafficking law which criminalizes the types of offenses 
set forth in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, 
Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime and in the Council Framework 
Decision on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.  The law 
in effect added a new article (Article 153-A) to the Macau 
Criminal Code, introducing new trafficking charges and 
expanding the scope of trafficking crimes beyond just those 
involving sexual exploitation to include activities with the 
purpose of exploitative labor or services, in particular 
forced or compulsory labor, slavery, etc.  Acts of human 
trafficking with the purpose of removing human organs or 
tissues are also established as criminal acts, and heavier 
punishment is imposed for activities that violate the 
provisions of Macau Law 2/96/M (Rules to be Observed in Acts 
Involving Donation, Removal and Transplant of Human Organs 
and Tissues).  The new law also does not distinguish between 
trafficking into, through, or from Macau, thus inclusively 
criminalizing all directions of trafficking that may occur 
across or within Macau's borders.  Also, regarding 
international adoption, a perpetrator's act to obtain or give 
consent to adoption of a minor by means of receiving or 
paying money or other rewards is deemed a criminal act. 
 
-- (SBU) The new law also provides for the minimum and 
maximum sentences to be increased by one-third if the 
trafficking victim is under the age of 14. Similarly, the new 
law amends Articles 77 and 78 of the Macau Criminal Procedure 
Code to stipulate that court proceedings related to 
trafficking crimes involving a victim under the age of 16 
normally shall not take place in public. 
 
-- (SBU) The law sets forth a series of rights of the 
victims, including the necessary social and economic aid to 
the victims, and guarantees their access to necessary and 
appropriate legal, psychological, medical, pharmaceutical 
services and accommodation. The law states "The Government 
shall take all necessary measures to protect and help the 
victims of human trafficking." Measures include: establishing 
a protection plan for victims of human trafficking; setting 
up a place for reception of the victims; arousing the public 
concern about problems brought about by human trafficking 
through publicity campaigns and educational work throughout 
the community; publicizing the rights of victims; as well as 
implementing training activities and various research works 
aimed at understanding the phenomena of human trafficking. 
In the event that the life or physical integrity of the 
victims, their families or witnesses is endangered, the MSARG 
shall "take all proper measures immediately and effectively 
in light of difficult conditions to see that the victim 
receives protection and assistance; when non-Macau residents 
are involved, it is necessary to initiate required 
cooperative mechanisms so that their home countries or 
regions can provide related protection and assistance." 
 
¶B. (SBU) Under Macau's new trafficking law, "a sentence of 
three to 12 years shall be given to those who turn other 
people into slave laborers or a status comparable to impose 
sexual exploitation, labor and service exploitation, 
especially forced or compulsory labor or service." As 
mentioned above, the minimum and maximum sentences are 
increased by one-third if the trafficking victim is under the 
age of 14. 
 
¶C. (SBU) Under Macau's new trafficking law, "a sentence of 
three to 12 years shall be given to those who turn other 
people into slave laborers or a status comparable to impose 
sexual exploitation, labor and service exploitation, 
especially forced or compulsory labor or service." The 
minimum and maximum sentences are increased by one-third if 
the trafficking victim is under the age of 14. 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  004.2 OF 007 
 
 
 
-- (SBU) Additionally, a sentence of one to five years may be 
given to those who retain, hide, spoil or destroy 
identification documents or tourist documents of trafficking 
victims if no harsher punishment is applicable. 
 
¶D. (SBU) Kidnapping with the intent to commit a crime against 
sexual liberty or self-determination is punishable by three 
to ten years imprisonment under Article 154(1)(b) of the 
Criminal Code of Macau.  Cases where the kidnapper rapes a 
victim are treated as two different crimes, though the 
sentences can in some cases be served concurrently.  The 
penalty for rape is three to twelve years imprisonment which 
is commensurate with prescribed penalties for sex trafficking. 
 
¶E. (SBU) The MSARG prosecuted two trafficking cases during 
the reporting period.  (Waiting for additional details from 
MSARG.) 
 
--(SBU) In addition, 20 cases, some of which may involve 
trafficking, are under investigation. 
 
¶F. (SBU) As reported in ref B, Post arranged a seminar for 
Macau law enforcement, prosecutors and judicial personnel to 
learn from a visiting U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor 
effective strategies and techniques for investigating and 
prosecuting human trafficking cases. Macau's Legal and 
Judicial Training Centre allowed us to use their facility and 
arranged for simultaneous translation to ensure the attendees 
understood the material. 
 
-- (Waiting for MSARG response on specific training provided 
in 2008). 
 
¶G. (SBU) MSARG officials tell us they continue to seek 
opportunities to expand their cooperation with other 
governments on anti-trafficking matters.  Currently, most of 
their regular exchanges and information-sharing are with 
mainland and Hong Kong counterparts.  The MSARG and Mongolian 
government are currently negotiating a Memorandum of 
Understanding on judicial matters. 
 
-- (SBU) In October 2008, Macau authorities worked with 
INTERPOL and Japanese police to rescue two Macau females who 
were lured to Japan and forced into prostitution. Japanese 
authorities arrested the alleged traffickers-- a female and 
male from Taiwan. Macau police arrested a local "middleman" 
believed to have advertised for "PR hostesses" in a local 
newspaper, arranged for the two victims' travel to Japan, and 
received a monthly reward for the "work" of each of the two 
victims. 
 
¶H. (SBU) Macau currently has agreements with Portugal and 
East Timor that provide for the extradition of criminals, 
including those involved in trafficking, apprehended in 
Macau.  The MSARG is negotiating mutual legal assistance 
agreements with mainland China and Hong Kong. Despite not 
having these formal agreements in place, MSARG officials tell 
us they maintain close working relationships with their 
Mainland and Hong Kong counterparts. 
 
-- (SBU) Post is not aware of any cases during the reporting 
period in which Macau extradited an alleged trafficker. 
 
¶I. (SBU) No evidence or allegations of government involvement 
in or tolerance of trafficking emerged during the reporting 
period. 
 
¶J. (SBU) No evidence or allegations of government involvement 
in or tolerance of trafficking emerged during the reporting 
period. 
 
¶K. (SBU) Prostitution is not illegal in Macau, although a 
number of activities associated with prostitution, including 
"pimping" (procurement/running of prostitution) are illegal. 
For example, "procurement" defined as "instigating, favoring 
or facilitating the practice of prostitution by another 
person or exploiting their state of abandonment or necessity 
for the purpose of profit or as a way of life" is punishable 
by one to five years imprisonment under Article 153 of the 
Macau Criminal Code.  Additionally, aggravated procurement, 
defined as "the use of violence, serious threats, or 
deception, or exploiting the mental incapacity of a victim," 
is a separate crime punishable by two to eight years 
imprisonment under Article 164 of the Criminal Code of Macau. 
 
-- (SBU) Macau laws do not specify a legal minimum age for 
prostitution but legal age of consent of sexual activity is 
¶16.  Moreover, Articles 168 & 169 of the Criminal Code 
criminalizes sexual activity with minors age 14-16 with 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  005.2 OF 007 
 
 
sentences of 3-4 years' imprisonment, and sexual activity 
with a minor under age 14 can receive up to 14 years' 
imprisonment. 
 
¶L. (SBU) As a Special Administrative Region of the People's 
Republic of China with no independent military of its own, 
Macau did not contribute troops to international peacekeeping 
efforts. 
 
¶M. (SBU) MSAR did not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem and did not have any cases involving child sex 
tourism during the reporting period. 
 
 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶A. (SBU) Under Macau's new trafficking law, law enforcement 
must "protect the victim secretly and free of charge to 
ensure that he or she can have a proper temporary shelter 
where he or she can be assured of personal security and 
obtain necessary and proper psychological, medical and 
social, economical and legal assistance." Victims and/or 
witnesses determined to be at high-risk of being harmed by 
their traffickers if found will be placed under 24-hour 
police protection at an undisclosed shelter. Macau police 
authorities informed us in October 2008 they have not yet 
needed to provide this level of protection. 
 
¶B. (SBU) The MSARG has designated 21 beds for trafficking 
victims in an existing women's shelter managed by the Social 
Welfare Bureau (SWB). Child victims are placed in an NGO-run 
home for minors. The child is not identified as a trafficking 
victim but instead is assimilated into the larger home with 
peers of the same age. 
 
¶C. (SBU) The Social Welfare Bureau (SWB) and Health Bureau, 
with the help of several local NGOs, provide trafficking 
victims with an array of legal, medical and psychological 
services.  SWB offers counseling, shelter, financial 
assistance and referrals to legal counseling and judicial 
assistance.  SWB encourages all victims to undergo a complete 
medical exam that includes testing for sexually-transmitted 
diseases (STDs).  If doctors discover STDs, they would issue 
free medication.  Clinical psychologists are on-site at the 
TIP shelter to conduct initial assessment and follow-up 
counseling if needed.  While at the shelter, victims receive 
a monthly stipend of MOP2,640 (same amount as the minimum 
living index for a Macau household of one) disbursed in 
weekly installments. 
 
¶D. (SBU) All trafficking victims, whether foreign or 
domestic, may receive temporary shelter and appropriate 
legal, medical, economic, and social assistance while they 
are in the MSAR participating in legal proceedings.  Macau 
law does not provide for issuing permanent residency status 
to foreign trafficking victims. As a result, the MSARG will 
assist the victims (including paying for transportation) to 
return to their home countries. 
 
¶E. (SBU) MSARG policy is to repatriate victims of trafficking 
to their home countries once legal proceedings have 
concluded. Recognizing the legal process can be lengthy at 
times, SWB is exploring providing victims access to classes 
that teach skills useful for obtaining future employment as 
an incentive to remain in MSARG for a longer period of time. 
Some of the classes being considered are English and Mandarin 
language courses, computer and cosmetic application skills. 
 
¶F. (SBU) After victims have provided their initial statements 
to law enforcement authorities, they are transferred directly 
to the Social Welfare Bureau who will process them for the 
various types of assistance desired by the victim.  SWB has 
dedicated after-hours phone numbers for law enforcement use. 
In the rare case where SWB can not be reached, the police can 
also directly refer a victim to a designated NGO who can 
offer emergency shelter. 
 
¶G. (SBU) The MSARG reported a total of 25 trafficking victims 
identified during the reporting period.  Of the 25 victims, 
24 were referred to care facilities by law enforcement, with 
23 going to the government shelter run by SWB and one opting 
for the a local NGO shelter.  The one remaining victim, a 
Macau resident, chose to return home after being rescued from 
her traffickers in Japan. 
 
¶H. (SBU) Although Macau law enforcement, immigration, and 
social services personnel have a standard set of guidelines 
for proactively identifying potential trafficking victims 
through interviews and assessment, this is an area MSAR 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  006.2 OF 007 
 
 
authorities acknowledge where front-line officers need to 
strengthen their capabilities. 
 
¶I. (SBU) Trafficking victims generally are not detained, 
jailed or fined.  If victims violate other laws, such as 
those governing immigration or prostitution, as a direct 
result of being trafficked, they are not prosecuted. 
 
¶J. (SBU) MSARG policy is to always encourage victims to 
assist in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking 
crimes, however, in practice, victims rarely have been 
willing to do so.  MSARG social welfare providers and police 
tell us most victims are eager to return to their country of 
origin, and once they have provided police officials their 
official testimonies, they are free to leave Macau.  Macau 
prosecutors, however, are concerned that not having victims 
provide live testimony during an actual trial may weaken the 
government's case against alleged traffickers.  They fear 
statements taken by police sometimes may fail to capture the 
entire situation, potentially creating holes in the case. 
Prosecutors generally try to arrange for victims to provide 
pre-trial testimonies in front of a judge as an alternative 
but is not always successful. 
 
¶K. (SBU) Macau's front-line law enforcement and immigration 
officers and social workers have established guidelines on 
the identification of and provision of assistance to 
potential trafficking victims.  SWB's clinical psychologists 
have held four training seminars for police officers 
responsible for manning one of the two TIP hotlines to learn 
how to recognize signs of distress, offer initial guidance, 
and refer them to appropriate social welfare services. 
 
-- (SBU) Macau does not have diplomatic missions abroad. 
 
¶L. (SBU) Although Macau is not a country of origin for 
internationally trafficked men, women or children, all the 
assistance mentioned above are available to Macau residents 
who are repatriated as victims of trafficking. 
 
¶M. (SBU) The Women's General Association of Macau receives 
government funding to run a TIP victim assistance hotline and 
provide basic assistance to trafficking victims to supplement 
the services provided by SWB. The Good Shepherd Sisters' 
Shelter continues to provide shelter and assistance to all 
women in need, including trafficking victims. International 
Social Service (ISS) Hong Kong currently provides legal and 
counseling services to victims who manage to travel from 
Macau to Hong Kong. They are in early discussions with MSARG 
authorities to allow ISS to operate in Macau. 
 
 
PREVENTION: 
----------- 
 
¶A. (SBU) The MSARG continued to aggressively conduct a 
variety of anti-trafficking and education campaigns during 
the reporting period.  The concern committee continued to 
publish brochures and other materials (currently in English, 
Portuguese and Chinese but which may soon expand to other 
languages) that are available at border checkpoints, 
hospitals, pharmacies, government offices, and popular public 
gathering areas.  The government ran radio and television 
advertisements (akin to Public Service Announcements) on 
Macau's most popular television and radio channels.  In 
addition to information ads in newspapers, SWB contracted a 
local NGO to administer a TIP-quiz contest that ran in 
several Chinese-language newspapers.  The NGO received 6,000 
submissions and had a lucky draw to determine the winners. 
One winner received a cash prize of MOP2,000, two winners 
received MOP1,500, three winners received MOP1,000, and five 
winners won MOP500. 
 
-- (SBU) The Consultative Commission on Women's Affairs 
(CCWA), an advisory body established in 2005 that reports to 
Chief Executive Edmund Ho, has heightened its role as a key 
stakeholder on addressing human trafficking.  They have a 
working group specifically focused on trafficking.  They 
organized several seminars to promote awareness of the TIP 
issue, including a one-day workshop co-organized with a local 
NGO in which drew more than 125 attendees. Participants 
included Macau law enforcement, social service, and judicial 
personnel as well as academics and stakeholders from women's 
groups and local media.  CCWA in January 2009 launched its 
website which includes TIP-related content such as relevant 
laws and CCWA anti-TIP activities. 
 
¶B. (SBU) (Waiting for MSARG response on efforts to monitor 
immigration and emigration patterns.) 
 
 
HONG KONG 00000387  007.2 OF 007 
 
 
¶C. (SBU) The Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern 
Committee serves as the vehicle for coordination and 
communication between the various MSARG departments as well 
as with foreign organizations involved in combating human 
trafficking. The Committee meets monthly to assess the 
government's existing policies and initiatives and strategize 
on future direction of their overall anti-trafficking efforts. 
 
¶D. (SBU) The new anti-trafficking law represents a strong 
foundation for a comprehensive approach to tackling the full 
range of trafficking concerns in Macau.  The concern 
committee has actively coordinated anti-TIP efforts to meet 
the provisions included in the law. The MSARG has established 
the victim protection and assistance mechanisms outlined in 
the law, and continues to explore alternative methods for 
increasing awareness and strengthening the legal tools 
necessary to effective implement the new law.  As mentioned 
above, the committee plans to contract a local university to 
conduct an independent review of the TIP issue in Macau and 
the concern committee's performance.  The review findings may 
prompt the MSARG to further fine-tune its approach to 
addressing human trafficking. 
 
E: (SBU) Post is not aware of any measures the government 
took during the reporting period to reduce the demand for 
commercial sex acts. Prostitution is not illegal in Macau. 
 
¶F. (SBU) The MSAR did not have an identified problem of its 
nationals participating in international child sex tourism. 
 
¶G. (SBU) Question is not applicable to the MSAR. 
 
¶3. (U) Post point of contact is Poloff Lisa Tam, tel: (852) 
2841-2139, fax: (852) 2526-7382, email: TamLY@state.gov. 
 
¶4. (U) Hours spent on drafting this report cable: 
 
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FS2-5 
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DONOVAN