Human trafficking rises as gangs become more evasive

Human trafficking in Vietnam is on the rise with organised gangs of traffickers using more complicated tricks to evade authorities, a new report commissioned by the deputy minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam has found.

The report was presented at a meeting to review an anti-trafficking programme run by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs that is now in its fifth year of implementation.

Due to the illicit nature of trafficking, statistics are hard to come by and the extent of the problem can only be guessed at by the number of returned victims recorded.

The ministry said that between 2005 and 2010, 3,190 women and children returned after being trafficked. Of those that have returned, 60 per cent escaped exploitative situations, 25 per cent were rescued by local authorities, and the remainder were handed over by foreign authorities.

Nguyen Van Minh, head of Social Evils Prevention Department that falls under the ministry, said that of 6,700 residents that migrated without reporting reasons, 4,700 had been trafficked.

Over the last five years, 115 communes that border with China, Laos and Cambodia have reported cases of residents being trafficked. In these areas, the ministry has identified 51 routes and 182 hot spots where trafficking activity is most acute.

Traffickers have also exploited child adoption, marriage and labour policies to move their victims across borders through legal migration channels which see 5 million foreigners enter the country each year for tourism and business and 4 million Vietnamese exit for study, tourism and work.

In response to the problem, anti-trafficking activities by the Government and non-governmental organisations alike have been stepped up in recent years. Two hundred border guard stations are now equipped to receive rescued victims, according to a representative from the Anti-drug Department of the Border Guard Command.

Over 2,500 returned victims have also received support to help them reintegrate into their communities. Of these, 1,037 victims received money from the State budget for job training courses.

International non-governmental organisations, such as the International Organisation of Migration and Terre Des Hommes, have also been instrumental in assisting returned victims by supporting the establishment of centres and reintegration activities.

But regulations aimed to prevent human trafficking continued to be insufficient and ineffective, especially in the management of migration, marriage to foreigners, and child adoption, said Le Thi Ha from the Social Evils Prevention Department. She added that the traditional focus of anti-trafficking activities on women and children was misplaced since men were also often the victims of trafficking for labour exploitation.

Lack of resources, even after victims are rescued, continue to pose barriers to their effective reintegration into communities. Commune-level authorities in charge of social affairs have reported only being allocated VND5 million ($250) per year.