Criminal activities in Vietnam have been getting more and moresophisticated and difficult to control in recent years, withtransnational and foreign-related cases on the increase, said Pham QuyNgo, Deputy Minister of Public Security at a meeting to discuss drugsand crime held in Hanoi on April 27.
Human trafficking, in particular, was a major issue of concern discussed at the meeting.
According to the Standing Office for Crime and Drug Prevention andControl, during the 2004-11 period, 2,600 cases of human traffickingwere detected, involving 4,500 offenders and 5,750 victims.
Experts said criminals often took advantage of difficult economicconditions and limited knowledge of the victims by promising them highincomes to convince them to move abroad.
ZhuldyzAkisheva, Country Manager of the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrimes (UNODC) in Vietnam, said the country's rapid economic and socialchange have provided opportunities for increased transnational organisedcrime.
She added that Vietnam is primarily a sourcecountry - and to a lesser extent a destination country of trafficking inmen, women and children for forced prostitution and labourexploitation.
Akisheva cited the limited capacity of keycriminal justice workers to appropriately deal with the issue and thelack of appropriate rehabilitation and reintegration services as majorchallenges to the situation.
Regarding the issue of drugabuse, Akisheva said while heroin is the primary drug of choice amongdrug addicts in Vietnam , the use of amphetamine-type stimulants(ATS) is on the increase in major cities and urban areas.
She said there are currently more than 158,000 registered drug users nationwide.
A recent survey conducted by the UNODC revealed that while the use ofATS was very low among students (only about 1 percent), the use of thedrugs were high and quite frequent among heroin users, sex workers, malehomosexuals, taxi drivers, construction workers and bar goers -considered high-risk groups.
The survey was conducted on10,000 students aged 16-22 in five big cities and provinces, includingHanoi and HCM City, and over 1,350 people in the high-risk groups inHanoi, HCM City and Da Nang.
According to the survey,ecstasy and crystal meth were among the most popular types of ATS usedby the high-risk groups, with the percentage of users reaching 50 to 94percent.
The meeting also introduced the nationalstrategy on preventing, combating and controlling drug abuse inVietnam until 2020 with an orientation until 2030, which set outobjectives of reducing the existing number of drug addicts by at least30 to 40 percent and ensuring that 70 percent of communes, wards, townsand living quarters were drug free.
These objectives,along with the target of ensuring the identification, control andtreatment of 100 percent of drug addicts, were said by experts to be"ambitious" and "challenging."
Another programme, aimedat combating human trafficking, Programme 130/CP for the 2011-15 period,was planned to ensure that by 2015, 85 percent of people were aware ofhuman trafficking tricks and ways to prevent and combat humantrafficking.
The programme will receive funding of270 billion VND (more than 12.85 million USD) from the Government andmobilise more funding from other sources, including internationalorganisations.-VNA
Human trafficking, in particular, was a major issue of concern discussed at the meeting.
According to the Standing Office for Crime and Drug Prevention andControl, during the 2004-11 period, 2,600 cases of human traffickingwere detected, involving 4,500 offenders and 5,750 victims.
Experts said criminals often took advantage of difficult economicconditions and limited knowledge of the victims by promising them highincomes to convince them to move abroad.
ZhuldyzAkisheva, Country Manager of the United Nations Office on Drugs andCrimes (UNODC) in Vietnam, said the country's rapid economic and socialchange have provided opportunities for increased transnational organisedcrime.
She added that Vietnam is primarily a sourcecountry - and to a lesser extent a destination country of trafficking inmen, women and children for forced prostitution and labourexploitation.
Akisheva cited the limited capacity of keycriminal justice workers to appropriately deal with the issue and thelack of appropriate rehabilitation and reintegration services as majorchallenges to the situation.
Regarding the issue of drugabuse, Akisheva said while heroin is the primary drug of choice amongdrug addicts in Vietnam , the use of amphetamine-type stimulants(ATS) is on the increase in major cities and urban areas.
She said there are currently more than 158,000 registered drug users nationwide.
A recent survey conducted by the UNODC revealed that while the use ofATS was very low among students (only about 1 percent), the use of thedrugs were high and quite frequent among heroin users, sex workers, malehomosexuals, taxi drivers, construction workers and bar goers -considered high-risk groups.
The survey was conducted on10,000 students aged 16-22 in five big cities and provinces, includingHanoi and HCM City, and over 1,350 people in the high-risk groups inHanoi, HCM City and Da Nang.
According to the survey,ecstasy and crystal meth were among the most popular types of ATS usedby the high-risk groups, with the percentage of users reaching 50 to 94percent.
The meeting also introduced the nationalstrategy on preventing, combating and controlling drug abuse inVietnam until 2020 with an orientation until 2030, which set outobjectives of reducing the existing number of drug addicts by at least30 to 40 percent and ensuring that 70 percent of communes, wards, townsand living quarters were drug free.
These objectives,along with the target of ensuring the identification, control andtreatment of 100 percent of drug addicts, were said by experts to be"ambitious" and "challenging."
Another programme, aimedat combating human trafficking, Programme 130/CP for the 2011-15 period,was planned to ensure that by 2015, 85 percent of people were aware ofhuman trafficking tricks and ways to prevent and combat humantrafficking.
The programme will receive funding of270 billion VND (more than 12.85 million USD) from the Government andmobilise more funding from other sources, including internationalorganisations.-VNA
