China warns of human trafficking situation in UK and U.S.

Demonstrators protest against racial injustice to mark Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, near the White House in Washington, D.C., the US, June 19, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

China has called on the international community to monitor human trafficking in the UK and U.S. and push for the problem to be addressed.

Beijing, which has itself been accused of facilitating forced labor in the Xinjiang region, expressed "serious concern" about the situation in America and Britain.

In a statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council, China's representative cited reports that as many as 100,000 individuals a year were trafficked to each country, many of them ending up working in poor conditions in so-called "sweat shops" or as domestic workers.

"China calls on the international community to pay close attention to the human trafficking issues in the U.S. and the UK and help to urge the two countries to take effective measures to tackle the issue," the statement said.

In 2019 more than 4,000 victims and survivors of trafficking contacted a helpline run by the Polaris Project in the U.S., 20 percent up from the previous year.

"Human trafficking is notoriously under-reported," the website notes. "Shocking as these numbers are, they are likely only a fraction of the actual problem."

Earlier this month, leaders of the G7 countries hosted by UK prime minister Boris Johnson, promised to put pressure on China over human rights.