One of Vietnam’s hotspots of human trafficking, the northern province of Lao Cai is dealing with a rise in the trafficking of women and children cross the border shared with China while trying its best to help trafficked ones reintegrate into the community.
Trinh Quang Trinh, director of the Lao Cai Labour, War Invalids and Social Affair Department, emphasised the situation at a working session on March 29 with officials from relevant agencies in the locality to assess the effectiveness of a project to assist trafficked people’s reintegration into society.
The project has been carried out for two years with financial and technical assistance offered by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).
The local official warned that traffickers are becoming more cunning in their actions, which have seen the involvement of foreign elements, to organise the crime.
Between 2004 and 2009, Lao Cai reported to uncover 67 cases of human trafficking with 374 victims, mainly women and children. In 2009 alone, 20 cases with 49 victims were detected in the locality.
During the period, provincial law enforcement forces in coordination with relevant agencies rescued 252 people trafficked and helped them return home.
As Lao Cai is also found to be a transit site for transporting persons illegally from other localities in Vietnam to China , its authorities have set to continue with a plan to deal with human trafficking and assist trafficked people’s reintegration into the community in the 2011-2015 period.
They intend to build a “Compassionate House” to receive trafficked people and provide them with psychological counseling together with vocational training to enable them to reintegration into society sustainably./.
Trinh Quang Trinh, director of the Lao Cai Labour, War Invalids and Social Affair Department, emphasised the situation at a working session on March 29 with officials from relevant agencies in the locality to assess the effectiveness of a project to assist trafficked people’s reintegration into society.
The project has been carried out for two years with financial and technical assistance offered by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).
The local official warned that traffickers are becoming more cunning in their actions, which have seen the involvement of foreign elements, to organise the crime.
Between 2004 and 2009, Lao Cai reported to uncover 67 cases of human trafficking with 374 victims, mainly women and children. In 2009 alone, 20 cases with 49 victims were detected in the locality.
During the period, provincial law enforcement forces in coordination with relevant agencies rescued 252 people trafficked and helped them return home.
As Lao Cai is also found to be a transit site for transporting persons illegally from other localities in Vietnam to China , its authorities have set to continue with a plan to deal with human trafficking and assist trafficked people’s reintegration into the community in the 2011-2015 period.
They intend to build a “Compassionate House” to receive trafficked people and provide them with psychological counseling together with vocational training to enable them to reintegration into society sustainably./.
