In response to the comments on the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) in the U.S. Department of State’s 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, the Office of the Secretary for Security of the MSAR makes the following statement:

The report’s conjectures and inferences on Macao do not reflect the actual situation of the MSAR. The report fails to provide basic factual evidence, and some inferences are plucked out of thin air. Therefore, the security authorities of Macao absolutely disagree with the report.

The MSAR Government has long been highly concerned about trafficking in persons. We have established the Human Trafficking Deterrent Measures Concern Committee (CAMDTP), and promulgated Law No. 6/2008 - “Combat the Crime of Trafficking in Persons”. We follow the strategies adopted by the international community to actively prevent and combat illegal activities related to trafficking in persons.

To strive for effective implementation, all inter-departmental task forces under the CAMDTP have made great efforts and achieved proven results in prevention of and combating trafficking in persons, protection of victims, and establishing good working relationships with non-governmental organisations, leading to an ongoing reduction in human trafficking crimes.

The security authorities of Macao reaffirm that there is zero tolerance of crimes related to trafficking in persons. Besides adopting a series of targeted measures, Macao will also continue to maintain close contact with the law-enforcement authorities of neighbouring countries and regions, to jointly prevent and combat crimes related to trafficking in persons.