Vietnam in combat human trafficking: Remarkable movements achieved
WVR - Efforts and commitments of Vietnam to human trafficking have been recognized widely at international forums and bilateral dialogues on human rights.
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| Vietnam has been making serious efforts to take action against human trafficking. |
In the recent Trafficking in Person report in 2023 (TIP 2023), Vietnam has been moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watchlist. This is the positive result reflected the effort have made in dealing with human trafficking, especially in tackling trafficking crime and strengthening international cooperation to prevent human trafficking.
Positive outcomes of human trafficking prevention programs
The Party and State of Vietnam have mobilized the participation of the whole political systems, departments and ministries, as well as people in various stages of the anti-trafficking programs. At the same time, considerable resources are provided to implement the annual program on preventing and controlling human trafficking.
Particularly, in 2022 and 2023, the Government's Steering Committee for Crime Prevention and Control has drastically implemented the programs and plans to prevent and combat with human trafficking; strengthen measure to control trafficking domestically and aboard.
According to Decision No 793/QD-TTg dated May 10, 2016 of the Prime Minister, July 30 has been chosen to be the National Day in preventing human trafficking. The peak waves of attacks and suppressions are organized from 1 July to September 30 every year, to discover and investigate many cases and criminal lines of human trafficking (both domestically and abroad).
In 2022, Vietnam has discovered and investigated 90 cases with 247 offenders in human trafficking, also found 222 victims, increased by 13 cases, 98 offenders and 72 victims compare to the same period in 2021. 58 cases with 128 defendants have been brought to trial.
In the first quarter of 2023, there are 56 cases with 150 defendants have been arrested and investigated, have seen an increase of 32 cases and 104 offenders compared to 2022. 93 denunciations, crime reports have been received and resolve, with 15/31 defendants have been brought to trial.
From January 2023, statistics on human trafficking have been organized, following the form of the Government's Steering Committee for Crime Prevention and Control. Data collected to build a national database on human trafficking. At the moment, researches are conducted to build a shared database, in cooperate with delegation from International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Vietnam to organize a workshop on the needs and purposes of collecting data on human trafficking.
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| Representatives of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs signed the Regulation on intersectoral coordination in reception, protection and support victims of trafficking on July 18, 2022. (Photo: Nguyen Hong/WVR) |
Notably, on July 18, 2022, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs have signed the Regulation on intersectional coordination in reception, protection and support victims of trafficking, with the witness of the US Embassy, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and diplomatic missions, international organization related to the work against human trafficking in Vietnam.
After more than 10 years of implementation, the Law on Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking (2011) has had a number of incompatibilities that need to be amended and supplemented. Vietnam is actively preparing dossier to request developing the Law on Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking (amended)
Regional and tnternational cooperation on human trafficking prevention
With the transnational nature, human trafficking crime has been a global problem. Therefore, regional and international cooperation in human trafficking prevention and control is an inevitable need.
In terms of multilateral cooperation, Vietnam has been a member of many international conventions related to prevention of human trafficking. Vietnam is also part of The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the first intergovernmental agreement on migration, and has issued a plan to implement this agreement, with specific and comprehensive solutions to prevent the risk of human trafficking in international migration.
In terms of bilateral cooperation, Vietnam has signed and continued to implement many mutual legal assistance agreements with many countries around the world, creating an important legal basis for international cooperation in the fight against crime, including trafficking in person, especially with women and children. Mutual agreements are signed with Laos (2010), Thailand (2008), China (2010) and the United Kingdom (2009) on preventing human trafficking, with maintaining an annual meeting with the implementing agency, coordinating to organize attack and suppression on human trafficking crimes.
Vietnam has signed 15 bilateral agreements and 13 mutual legal assistance agreements on crime prevention, all of which have the content of preventing and combating human trafficking crimes. Vietnam is also implementing cooperation projects within the ASEAN-ACT Program, sponsored by the Australian Government.
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| Delegates at the workshop for the implementation of the Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Programme for 2021-2025 held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 9, 2023. |
Besides, the country has cooperated with many international organizations on their project, also organized two regional projects on preventing and combatting human trafficking. The two projects are “Prevention of trafficking in women and children in the Mekong sub-region" funded by the Alliance of International Organizations, and “Prevention of trafficking in women and children in the Mekong sub-region”, funded by the Alliance of International Organizations.
Both projects focus on communication and raising awareness, with many other activities to prevent, to reduce to the maximum extent the crime of trafficking in women and children and resolve the consequences.
At the same time, to prevent the risk of human trafficking in international migration, especially in illegal migrant smuggling activities, on March 20, 2020, Vietnam's ministries, sectors and localities continue to strictly implement plan to implement the UN Global Agreement on Legal, Safe and Orderly Migration (Decision No. 402/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister).
Vietnam is currently building a dossier to join the Protocol on combating the smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against transnational organized crime in 2000. This is an effort to prevent the risk of human trafficking through criminal activities that smuggle migrants.
In the digital era, transnational crime, particularly human trafficking is increasingly sophisticated, seriously threatening efforts to protect human rights, endangering the lives of thousands of people every year. Strengthening international cooperation to prevent human trafficking is the shared goal of many countries in the world, including Vietnam.
