Sex trafficking in Macau is

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the

Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a popu ...

. Macau is predominantly a destination country for sexually trafficked persons. Sex trafficking victims, primarily women and girls, in the city are

Macau people Macau people ( zh, t=澳門人) are people who originate from or live in Macau. Besides their use to refer to Macau residents, these terms may also be used more loosely to refer to those who may not be residents, but have lived in the city for ...

Mainland Chinese Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong ( SAR of the PRC), Macau (SAR of the PRC), ...

, and foreigners. Migrants, foreign workers, children, and people in poverty are vulnerable. Sex trafficked victims are deceived, threatened, and forced into prostitution and

unfree labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

. Their documents, including passports, are often confiscated and they are tied, locked-up, and or guarded. Victims experience physical and psychological trauma. They contract sexually transmitted diseases from rapes, and abuse, malnutrition, and poor living conditions are common. Cybersex or online sex trafficking and victims being in pornography and live video sharing is a significant problem. Traffickers lure victims with different internet and social media sites and apps, as well as email. Sex trafficking and exploitation have permeated all levels of Macau society. Traffickers come from all social and economic classes. A number of traffickers are members of or facilitated by criminal syndicates. Sex trafficking is linked to the casino industry. Women, promised modeling contracts, have been sold into sexual slavery. The scale of sex trafficking in Macau is not known because of the absence of data, the underground nature of sex trafficking crimes, the fact that only a small minority of cases are reported to the authorities, and other factors. The government of Macau has been criticized for its insufficient anti-sex trafficking efforts and poor victim protections.

Non-governmental organizations

The Good Shepherd Asia Pacific conducts anti-sex trafficking efforts and victim rehabilitation services in Macau.

References

{{Sex trafficking, state=collapsed Crime in Macau Human rights in Macau

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Youth in Macau Women's rights in Macau