Struggle against trafficking in women and children – an uncompromising struggle

In the Review Conference of the 1^st phase (2004 – 2006) of the Program“Prevention against Crimes of Trafficking in Women and Children” directed by Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong in early April, it was said that there still exists inside the country large potential crimes, hidden gangs that operate and connect to many places throughout the country.

According to reports from different localities, in 2 years (2004 – 2006), in the whole country, 1,518 women and children were found trafficked. The number of women and children victimized increases by years. The trick of trafficking in persons has become more sophisticated. The traffickers maximized the disadvantages of the women, children living in poor rural areas, having low education, difficult economic situation and unemployment. They promised to find for them suitable and light jobs in cities, towns and then took them across the borderline to sell them in brothels or foreign crime organizations, taking advantage of gaps in laws o­n intermediary of marriage with foreigners, orphan adoption, tourism, visiting relatives, working abroad to cheat and take women and children abroad; taking advantage of Vietnam’s opened and international integration policies...

Defining clearly communication activities as the key task, right after the issuance of the 130/CP Decision of Government, the Central VWU boosted information and communication activities o­n VWU’s website; cooperated with Viet Nam Television to introduce the theme “Prevention against Trafficking in Women and Children” to the broadcasting program “Builders of Happy Home ” and “Magic Hat”. VWU also cooperated with UNICEF in Vietnam to organize Forum “Children in Vietnam and China Prevent Trafficking in Women and Children”.There have been 104 targeted communes in 27 provinces/cities covered by VWU’s communication activities; A national festival of films o­n “Prevention against Trafficking in Women and Children” was co- organized by VWU and the Ministry of Public Security; In addition, VWU has edited and printed 100,700 pamphlets, 5,000 hand-books, 500 posters, 40,000 copies of Women’ Bulletins, 13,300 books, 150 CD o­n prevention against trafficking in women and children to release to the Women’s Unions in different provinces/cities, communes and towns... Besides, WU at all levels organized vocational training for nearly 15,000 people and introduced jobs for 13,000 people; VWU also provided trust credits for poor women with over 600 billion VND as loans o­n production. In provinces that have a large number of trafficked women and children such as: Tay Ninh, Hau Giang and Can Tho city, in 2006, WU provided vocational trainings and job opportunities for 1,150 women and loans of 6.5 billions VND for 1,140 o­nes. About 500 children were supported go to school. Some provinces/cities founded Marriage Supporting Center or Law Counseling Center like Ho Chi Minh City, Soc Trang, Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc, Hai Phong, Bac Giang, and Ben Tre provinces... The Law Counseling Center in Hai Phong has served for nearly 1,000 cases of marriage to foreigners while the o­ne in Ho Chi Minh City did for over 600 cases.

For getting practical results in preventing trafficking in women and children, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem said that, it is necessary to take combination of economic, administrative and legal measures. Ministries, local departments at all levels should cooperate closely within the framework set up and coordinated by the Government and the People Committee at all levels. Communication task should go first as “prevention is major”; improve the material and spiritual life of the people. The police and border guards should effectively fight, constantly attack and suppress crimes especially in targeted sites. Finally, it is needed to form a force to be responsible for this task as well as to set up a legal mechanism to implement planed goals.