"Business community in Hong Kong ‘should do more to tackle human-trafficking in Asia’, says former US prosecutor and diplomat", 29 Aug 2017

Former ambassador to the US department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Luis CdeBaca, has called on the financial industry in Hong Kong to do their bit combating human-trafficking in the region and urged the city’s government to approve an anti-human trafficking law…at the Thomson Reuters Anti-Slavery Summit held…in Hong Kong…

“It’s not simply looking whether there are victims of human-trafficking in Hong Kong…The business community can also make a difference for the entire region if it insists that everyone looks at supply chains and business practices,” CdeBaca…said…He said banks have to make sure human-trafficking is not intruding into the supply chain...CdeBaca said that just as toxic assets or environmental issues are explored when doing due diligence, exposure to human-trafficking in a company supply chain should also be taken into account.

The United Kingdom, for instance, now requires large companies to file a disclosure in London showing what they are doing to fight human-trafficking. Similar disclosures have also been discussed in Australia. “In the next 10 years, this will become industry standard for most of the stock markets,” CdeBaca said, adding that while the business community must do their bit, local government must also do more…The government, however, has dismissed the need to introduce an anti-trafficking law, arguing such crimes are not common in the city…