ENG-2019 — Page 324

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Public Order

Combating Trafficking in Persons

The department set up a new section in 2019 that built on a victim screening mechanism launched in 2015 to combat trafficking in persons. The section checks visa applications for foreign domestic helpers to identify as early as possible potential victims of trafficking and exploitation of foreign domestic helpers, and conducts investigation on related immigration offences. Identified victims are referred to relevant departments to receive protection and support according to their individual situations, such as urgent intervention, medical services, counselling and shelter.

Independent Commission Against Corruption

Hong Kong prides itself as a city with a clean civil service, a level playing field for doing business. and a society highly intolerant of corruption. The latest international studies, including Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report and the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index, recognise the city as one of the world's least corrupt places.

Established in 1974, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) safeguards Hong Kong's deep-rooted culture of probity through a holistic strategy of enforcement, prevention and education. Its independence is enshrined in the Basic Law, and its operation is sustained by a strong political will of the government and supported by a community highly intolerant of corruption.

According to the 2019 ICAC Annual Survey, 96.3 per cent of the respondents expressed support for the commission. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing total rejection of corruption and 10 representing total acceptance, the respondents registered a mean score of 0.3, the lowest tolerance level since this question was asked in 2010 for the first time. In addition, 98.1 per cent said they had not personally encountered corruption in the past 12 months.

In 2019, the ICAC received 2,297 non-election-related corruption complaints, down 14 per cent compared with 2018. Of these complaints, 64 per cent concerned the private sector, 28 per cent related to government departments and 7 per cent involved public bodies3.

Enforcement

The ICAC investigates complaints on suspected corruption. It initiates prosecution for corruption and related offences and administers cautions for minor offences upon the Department of Justice's advice. Of the prosecutions completed during the year, 105 people involved in 73 cases were convicted, resulting in person-based and case-based conviction rates of 75 per cent and 79 per cent respectively. The commission prosecuted 134 people and cautioned 20 others in non-election cases. Additionally, 23 people were prosecuted for electoral offences and 55 warned for minor breaches in election cases. At the year end, the caseload stood at 1,749, including 547 related to elections. Of the 623 election-related complaints received during the year, 517 and 73 related respectively to the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election and 2019 Rural Ordinary Election.

3 The individual percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.

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