Experts call on business leaders to help curb human trafficking

Richard Welford (center)

Experts and human right activists have called on Macau and the region’s business leadership to help end human trafficking and modern-day slavery. They urged local companies and gaming operators to take a clear stance and build a collaborative effort to “clean up the house.”
Data shows that since 2012, at least 39 under-aged girls have been reported as victims of human trafficking in Macau. But the actual number could be bigger, according to experts at a summit hosted on Tuesday by the Good Shepherd Centre.
“We don’t know the precise numbers, but we do know what the picture is in Macau. Young, vulnerable girls are being targeted in [mainland] China and are being brought to Macau illegally,” said Richard Welford, chairman of CSR Asia. Those girls are reportedly between 14 and 17 years old. They were often school dropouts and lured by the idea that this was “a chance to make a lot of money,” but end up being exploited.
“It’s the typical story,” said Aris Tam, a local researcher at the Macau Polytechnic Institute. “After entering the network, they are often resold by dealers and change sites. Macau’s economy is booming, there is much demand and [the dealers] receive more money. That’s why they are brought to Macau,” he told the audience.
Experts emphasized that there are two sides to the story. “What we are failing to do is tackle the root causes of why that criminal activity is actually happening. There are criminals targeting these vulnerable girls and bringing them here, but there is also a demand for those girls here in Macau because of the type of industry that is developed in Macau,” said Welford.
Political will from the Macau government to tackle these issues has been observed by experts. Ms Kathleen Ferrier, expert in International Relations and a member of the UN-associated Expert Review Group, said that it is “a huge advantage” but yet still not enough, unless the NGOs, the academia, and the business sector all play a part.
“There is a lot more we can do in Macau, particularly working with the casinos and the hotels to address this illegal activity,” said Welford, suggesting that the big corporates put in “a lot more work and support on the ground, a lot more awareness-raising about the illegal activities, and a lot more outreach.”

Grant Bowie: ‘A sense of humanity’

“I think clearly we understand there’s a very large sex worker industry in Macau. Clearly that is a significant issue, and frankly it’s very sophisticated, and that’s often difficult to address,” MGM’s CEO Grant Bowie told the Times, on the sidelines of the summit held in his casino resort. “Just because it’s not nice, just because it’s distasteful, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about it. In fact, it’s the complete opposite,” he added. “We need to be mindful that we need to have a sense of humanity towards everybody who comes to Macau.”

Some casinos are ‘in denial’

Some casinos in Macau are still “in complete denial that there is even a problem,” argued the CSR Asia chairman, Richard Welford.
“I can walk outside their casinos and, within ten minutes, three girls would approach me offering me services. When I talked to them about that problem, they said it’s not their problem because it’s outside of their casino. That doesn’t wash with me. You’ve got to do an awful lot more than just saying girls outside my hotel are not my problem,” he stressed.
The expert argued that the resorts could be losing money because of “this sleazy image that Macau actually now has,” when, really, companies could make more profit by showing that they are involved in responsible business activities.
“Myself and a lot of my friends in Hong Kong are no longer coming to Macau, because it’s not a terribly responsible place, not a terribly attractive place. (…) The casinos in Macau need to take a stance. I do not hear enough casinos talking about human-trafficking and modern-day slavery,” he said.
Experts suggested that hotels and casino resorts should think about how to link their own security with the public security and the police. Moreover, they should look closely into their supply chain for food and goods, as the issue is not only one of sex trafficking, but also a labor issue, and can be found just about everywhere.
Matt Friedman, CEO of Mekong Club, suggested that the private sector needs encouragement, and so one or two corporates need to step up to make a positive role model.
“Rather than people looking at it and saying, ‘What is the public sector doing? What is the government doing? What are the NGOs doing?’ I hope it comes to a point where people ask, ‘What is the collective doing?’” he said.