The government has hit back at what it calls "unsubstantiated remarks" from the US State Department in its latest Trafficking in Persons Report, which said Hong Kong was actively being used by syndicates as a destination or transit point for human trafficking.

A spokesman for the SAR government said it vehemently opposed and firmly rejected what it called unfounded and false remarks in the report about the situation in Hong Kong. The SAR statement said trafficking in persons was never a prevalent problem in the city, and there had never been any sign that Hong Kong was actively used by syndicates to conduct such activities.

It said the rating of Hong Kong as Tier 2 on its Watch List was "unfair, misconceived, and not substantiated by facts."

The SAR government said it had been making proactive and multi-pronged efforts in the fight against trafficking in persons, and had injected an enormous amount of resources into combating the issue, as well as enhancing protection for foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. It said the government spared no effort in conducting initial screenings for all persons vulnerable to trafficking risks, including illegal immigrants, sex workers, illegal workers, helpers, imported labour and other suspected victims.

It said in 2023, it screened 11,000 people, representing an increase of 45 percent compared to the previous year. It found only three victims, which demonstrated that trafficking in persons wasn't prevalent or widespread in Hong Kong.

The spokesman said it would be baseless and unfair to cast doubt on the city's quality of screenings just because of the low number of the victims identified.

The government also noted that in 2018, it established a high-level steering committee that provided policy on human trafficking and protection of foreign domestic helpers.