Macao SAR govt slams US report on human trafficking as biased and groundless

Photo taken on Dec 17, 2019 shows a street in Macao. [Photo/Xinhua]

Security authorities in the Macao Special Autonomous Region (SAR) expressed strong opposition to a US report released Friday on human trafficking, which put Macao on the tier-2 watch list, saying that the report did not reflect the real situation, and has "biased interpretations and groundless assumptions."

Macao has witnessed a continuous zero or low rate of human trafficking cases, thanks to continuous efforts made to crack down on such crimes, the authorities noted.

The 2021 Human Trafficking in Persons report of the US ranked the Macao SAR as on the Tier 2 Watch List, saying that the government of Macao does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it is to make significant efforts to do so.

In response, the Office of the Secretary for Security of the Macao expressed strong opposition to the reference relating to Macao carried in the report, as they are "extremely unreasonable and unacceptable."

The Macao government's law-enforcement efforts in combating human trafficking has been effectively carried out under the supervision of the local judiciary. The decline in cases - relating to human trafficking and labor exploitation - recorded in recent years, demonstrates the efficient collaboration between the government and local communities, the office said.

The self-styled report, nonetheless, has for years continuously ignored objective facts by giving wrong interpretations, false deductions and unreasonable speculation. This is especially seen by its bias against Macao's legal system and independent judiciary system, and the false accusations about the efficacy of Macao's governance, the office noted.

The Macao government has formulated the relevant pieces of legislation and mechanisms for coordination and enforcement in this regard. The Macao security authorities will closely collaborate with the judicial authorities to carry out necessary preventive and investigative work, as well as stepping up international and regional exchanges and cooperation, in order to explore joint strategies to prevent and combat any form of human trafficking and exploitation, according to the office.