IOM Chief of Mission Park Mihyung (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – TheInternational Organisation for Mirgration (IOM) is ready to help the VietnameseGovernment accelerate the goal of eliminating thetrafficking in persons in Vietnam, IOM Chief of Mission Park Mihyung has said. Following is the full text of her interview to the Vietnam News Agency on theoccasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and the National Day Against Human Trafficking (July 30).
Q: Could you please provide some comments onthe effort of Vietnam in combating human trafficking in the last few years,given the TIP law was enacted since 2011?
A: In the last few years, Vietnam hasbeen making serious efforts to take action against human trafficking, create atransparent migration environment, and protect the legal rights and interestsof migrants. One example is the implementation of the National HumanTrafficking Prevention and Control Programme for 2021-2025, with a vision for2030, which includes new solutions and tasks to prevent and fight humantrafficking in all areas.
What is encouraging for me is how Vietnam has heightened attention towards investigating and identifying variousforms of trafficking. The Government has also paid close attention todisaggregate data on trafficking in persons to provide a better understandingof how serious this situation is in the country. In recent years, thedefinition of human trafficking has been expanded, as the crime is not onlyabout sexual exploitation and forced marriage but also about domestictrafficking and forced labor. I also know that Vietnam has paid closeattention to tackling fetus trafficking as well.
In the past, we used to think thathuman trafficking only involved moving, traveling, or transporting a personacross state or national borders. However, human trafficking can occur withinthe borders of any country, including Vietnam. Victims of human trafficking canbe recruited and trafficked in their hometowns, even within their own homes.
Also, we tend to believe that contractedmigrant workers face no risk. But Vietnamese contracted workers can bevulnerable to labor exploitation. Therefore,the Law on Contract-Based Vietnamese Overseas Workers (or Law 69) which cameinto effect from 1st January 2022, plays a pivotal role in better ensuring theprotection of Vietnamese migrant workers and their rights, promising morepractices for fair recruitment and creation of a safe migration environment.
The Vietnamese Government has alsodedicated itself to streamlining inter-agency coordination and referralsthrough standardized procedures. One example is the initiative undertaken bythe MOLISA, which enabled the Inter-ministerial Coordination Regulation onReception, Protection, and Support for Trafficked Victims that came into forcein August 2022, applicable to the four Line Ministries of MFA, MPS, MOLISA, andMND.
The increased identification andassistance to Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) has been shown through thesignificant number of VoTs assisted in 2022. I was very proud of IOM’s recent effort to collaborate withthe Border Guard and the Ministry of Public Security to identify and prosecutethe traffickers of human trafficking cases and provide protection for thevictims of forced labor on fishing boats.
A border guard in Nghe An popularises law in Ky Son border district (Photo: VNA)
Q: Could you please provide some of thecollaboration between IOM and the Government of Vietnam to combat this crime?
A: In Vietnam, as a leading UN agencyfor migration, IOM has been working closely with government agencies, civilsociety, private sectors, and migrants to find solutions to migration issues,provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, and promote cooperation indealing with migration-related challenges.
To support Vietnam’s commitment underthe Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Programme for 2021-2025, withorientations toward 2030, under the support of the UK Home Office, IOM hascollaborated with both Government agencies and local actors to realize their potentialto reduce individual and community vulnerabilities to human trafficking throughbehavior change communication, strengthened access to justice andvictim-centered rehabilitation and reintegration support. Between 2018 and2022, the project capacitated more than 1,700 counter-trafficking actors,raised the awareness of over 2.93 million people about human trafficking preventionand safe migration, and helped 1,680 people gain access to local employmentopportunities and common labor migration pathways.
IOM is proud of our work on improvingaccess of low-skilled workers to essential skills such as digital, soft, jobapplication, and entrepreneurship skills, helping their employmenttransformation in a digital working environment while boosting their adaptationand resilience to change. For this initiative, IOM, in partnership with theVietnam General Confederation of Labour, the General Directorate of VocationalTraining, and Microsoft, has developed and promoted the e-learning platformcongdanso.edu.vn. After nearly two years, the e-learning platform hasbenefitted over 13,000 Vietnamese learners (approximately 51% women),especially internal migrant workers.
We also work on advocating for ethicalrecruitment to ensure the rights of labor migrants, improving the health ofmigrants, and areas related to climate induced migration. Soon, we hope toassist Vietnam to enhance a database on trafficking in persons and internationalmigration. At the same time, we work with our government counterparts toimprove the migration governance legal framework towards aligning withinternational standards, contributing to promoting safe, orderly, and regularmigration.
At the same time, IOM supported thecapacity building of law enforcement agencies at central and provincial levelsin the fight against human trafficking and people smuggling and providedreintegration support to the provinces and ministries, and increased expertise,resources, and personnel to roll out and implement these legal policies relatedto supporting human trafficking victims. For example, through IOM’s “Trainingfor Frontline Border Guards in Border Areas of Vietnam” project, funded by theBureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of theUnited States Department of State, a Training Curriculum on Counter-Traffickingand Victim Protection for frontline Border Guard officers was developed. Itreceived the endorsement of the Ministry of Defence and was used in training for436 frontline officers in 12 border provinces, equipping them with thenecessary knowledge and skills to combat trafficking effectively.
IOM has also provided technicalassistance to the Department of Social Vices Prevention and Combat of MOLISA toroll out a standardized screening and referral process to enhance victimidentification and strengthen inter-sectoral coordination at the central andlocal levels to enable statutory protection of victims. The reintegration handbookand toolkit developed with IOM’s technical assistance were able to help improvelocal officers’ capacities in exploring more community-based reintegrationsupport models to reach more victims while maximising available resources.
Q: There are a lot of discussions aroundrevising the Law on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control to adapt to thenew tactics of traffickers and to enhance the effectiveness of humantrafficking prevention and control. What do you think about this issue? Does IOMhave some recommendations for Vietnam to make the law more effective andprotect more people?
A: After 10 years of implementing theLaw on Trafficking in Persons Prevention and Combat (or TIP Law), it is the righttime for reviewing and amending the law. This is an essential step to ensureVietnam is equipped to respond to emerging trends and risks of trafficking inpersons, which disproportionally affect everybody, including men, women,elders, boys and girls.
Effectively addressing humantrafficking requires up-to-date and reliable data to empirically ground policy,programs, and support for the victims. Therefore, the law revision should lookat institutionalising establishment of a centralised trafficking database thatalso includes victims’ data and their support needs. In this regard, IOM standsready to support Vietnam to be able to collect, update, analyse, and use suchdata to inform its work.
Human trafficking is a complex issue,and it evolves quickly. Therefore, it is crucial for the counter-traffickingcommunity to find an innovative way to identify emerging trends, especiallycrimes that happen in cyberspace, provide comprehensive support to the victims,and seeks timely and viable solution to meet the new evolving challenges of humantrafficking.
The participation of the privatesector in the fight against TiP needs to be encouraged. As such, enhancingengagement of the private sector and advocating for them to adopt responsiblebusiness practices and supply change transparency will help prevent accidentalinvolvement in human trafficking as well as utilise their contribution to thevictim support. It is time to bring the tech companies and owners ofsocial media channels to the table. More joint conversations between theGovernment, international organisations, the technology sector, civil society,and law enforcement are critical to detect traffickers’ evolved tactics anddevelop innovative solutions to tackle the issue.
On the other hand, we need to increasethe penalties for trafficking offenses, especially traffickers in cyberspace,to deter traffickers from crime and send a strong message that this is aserious crime and must be stopped. To do so, we must strengthen mechanisms toeffectively investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, includingspecialised training for law enforcement officials and prosecutors dealing withtrafficking cases and ensuring coherent implementation and enforcement atcentral and local levels. The revision of the law should also look at enhancingpolicies to support and level of assistance to VoTs to help them sustainablyintegrate into the community and build up a better life.
We also recommend Vietnam tostandardised victim screening form that aligns with the international one. Wehope to continue cooperating closely with MOLISA, MPS, and the Border Guards inthis field and hope these efforts will bring good results soon.
Last but not least, the fight againsttrafficking in persons is not the sole responsibility of any agency. Therefore,we need to improve legal frameworks to foster interagency cooperation,expedited and inclusive processes involving consultation with all relevantstakeholders, including non-profit, civil society organisations, and the VoTs,to identify potential challenges in identifying and assisting VoTs. Mostimportantly, we must listen to the victims, hear their stories.
With all of those objectives in mind,IOM stands ready to support the Government of Vietnam and other partners toaccelerate the goal of eliminating the trafficking of persons in Vietnam./.
