Dear Mr Taylor Amarel,

I refer to your request for information (AIO13/2020) made under the Code
on Access to Information (the Code) which was received by this Department
on 26 February 2020 as attached.

Please be informed that your request is now under processing.  According
to para 1.16 of the Code, our department will inform you of the latest
progress of the request on or before 17 March 2020 (Tuesday).  In the
meantime, please contact the undersigned at 2115 8315 if you have any
enquiry.

Regards,
Cecilia YU
Employment Agencies Administration
Labour Department

Dear Mr Taylor Amarel,
I refer to your request for information under the Code of Access to
Information (AIO13/2020) received by this Department on 26 February 2020
as attached.

While the Labour Department ("LD") has implemented an initial victim
screening mechanism at the ten branch offices of the Labour Relations
Division since mid-December 2019 which has significantly enhanced the
protection of foreign domestic helpers as the victims being exploited or
abused can be identified at an early stage and referred to law enforcement
agents ("LEAs") for conducting full debriefing and follow-up investigation
as early as possible, it has been an established practice of the
Employment Agencies Administration ("EAA") of LD to make referral of
suspected trafficking-in-person ("TIP") cases to other LEAs once such
cases are detected in the course of our investigation into the
malpractices and irregularities of employment agencies under Part XII of
the Employment Ordinance (Cap 57), the Employment Agency Regulations (Cap
57A) and the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies.   The following are
the number of referrals involving TIP matters made to other LEAs on yearly
basis for your information, please:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
3 2 3 16 36 1
(as at end of Feb 2020)

As provided under the Code, I would like to inform you of the right to
review, i.e. if you believe our Department has failed to comply with any
provision of the Code, you may write to ask our Department to review the
situation or consider lodging a complaint to the Ombudsman.  The
Ombudsman’s contacts are as follows:

Address: 30/F., China Merchants Tower,
Shun Tak Centre,
168-200 Connaught Road Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone Number: (852) 2629 0555
Fax Number: (852) 2882 8149

   Should you have queries, please contact the undersigned at 2115 8315.
Regards,
Cecilia Yu
Employment Agencies Administration
Labour Department