On June 15, the U.S. State Department released the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, upgrading Hong Kong from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2. The report also mentioned last year’s scams to individuals traveling from Hong Kong to Southeast Asia.
The report categorizes countries or regions around the world into different categories, including “Tier 1,” “Tier 2,” “Tier 2 Watch List,” “Tier 3,” and “Special Cases.” Tier 1 countries have relatively better situations. Hong Kong was upgraded from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2 and is on par with countries such as Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, and Kenya.
The report criticized the Hong Kong government for “not fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so“ than the previous reporting period….