Macau Daily News - Legal Instruction
Sex Trafficking

No.449 – 2008.03.16 News

Sex trafficking is the activity conducted by means of force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It is the most profitable activity of the organized crime groups at present, and also one of the world’s fastest illegal and unfair money-making channels which brings in approximately USD 7 billion per annum.

Victims of sex trafficking are young children, teenagers, men and women. Women or underage girls, however, are the major sufferers. They are inveigled by high income jobs in other countries or regions, being traded by their greedy parents into the sex industry or being kidnapped by traffickers.

Victims do not only suffer from physical and mental injuries, but also are facing different health risk including venereal diseases (syphilis, gonorrhea or AIDS) and involuntary abortion to pregnant females.

Sex trafficking is usually transnational, and hence the cooperation between governments and people is crucial to stop the spread. Anyone who meets a suspected sufferer or find out a trafficking case should immediately report to the police to restore and rescue victims from sexual exploitation. According to the Macao Law, the person (offender) who entices the other party into sex business in other counties for illegal benefits, even if the unlawful act happens in a different country or region, the offender will be condemned to imprisonment of two to eight years. The term sentence will be increased by a third, in other words, to ten years or more if the victim is below the legal age. Sentence to the offender who involves victim(s) of 14 year old or younger will be imprisoned for a minimum five-year and a maximum 15-year period.

Victims fallen into trafficking might be kept completely in the dark or having no way to bring up the matter. They came to a foreign country alone under the surveillance of the traffickers. It is very difficult for the victims to save themselves or to escape from the cage. The local people can safeguard the sufferers by informing the police of suspected cases in order to free the victims and put the criminals into jail.

Note: with reference to Article 7, Organized Criminal Law (Lei da Criminalidade Organizada).

(Source by DSAJ)

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