Human trafficking victims mostly mainlanders

Judiciary Police director Chau Wai Kuong

A seminar on “Understanding Human Trafficking From A Global and Local Perspective” was held yesterday. The topics discussed varied from the difficulties faced by the Macau police force in combating human trafficking, to the protection of minors.
Representatives from the Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), the Good Shepherd Centre and the Judiciary Police (PJ) all referenced their personal experiences in expressing their views to the participants.
Some victims (whose identities were not disclosed) were invited to share their stories.
Chau Wai Kuong, director of the PJ, informed that the Macau police force has been inspecting locations that have a high risk of human trafficking incidences occurring, night clubs in particular.
As to the victims’ identities, Chau revealed that 80 to 90 percent are mainlanders. According to him, some trafficking cases were coordinated by suspects from both Macau and the mainland.
Under Macau law, a suspect can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison for human trafficking. “Twenty years, I personally think is enough,” said Chau.
The police head additionally voiced his concern that “it is not enough [to combat human trafficking] by simply relying on the police force.” He urged the public to dial the 24-hour hotline to report any information regarding incidents of human trafficking: 2888-9911.
Juliana Devoy, director of the Good Shepherd Centre, the organizer of yesterday’s seminar, voiced her opinions on the occurrence of human trafficking in Macau. “Macau’s situation is unique because of the casinos, which are a magnet for sex trafficking,” she said.
Devoy expressed the belief that both the casinos and the government have displayed a high level of awareness of the problem. However, she advocated greater attention and reaffirmed the need for judges to “receive training in order to identify a trafficking case.”
Data from the Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee shows that up until June of 2016 there had only been two cases of human trafficking, involving two victims and one suspect. The data also shows that 2013 was the year with the highest number of cases between 2008 and 2016, with 35 cases involving 38 victims and nine suspects. Between this period, in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2016, one-digit cases and suspects were recorded. Julie Zhu