UK supports Vietnam on tackling the sexual exploitation of children

Supported by the British Embassy, the initiative will look to bring together expertise from across charities, industry, governments and policing to build up intelligence share expertise and target UK offenders. The initiative follows o­n the back of a number of recent joint initiatives between UK and Vietnamese authorities.

Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and o­nline Protection (CEOP) Centre, stressed: “We have worked extensively and constructively with our counterparts in Vietnam over the past year sharing expertise and understanding in order to target sex offenders who think that by travelling from the UK they can escape detection and prosecution. Our success is there for all to see. The Vietnam CEOP Advisory Group will then grow into being a critical and constructive “friend” ensuring that CEOP work in the region remains focused, informed and relevant to local need and demand”.

The initiative is being mirrored by similar activity in initially Cambodia and Thailand, and each group will ultimately aim to: deliver a holistic approach targeting offenders and protecting victims, share expertise and cultural understanding and deliver joint education and awareness campaigns.

The British Government is backing the initiative. Ambassador to Vietnam Mark Kent said: “There is nothing more horrific than young children of any nationality being trafficked or exploited in any way. Working individually we can make an impact but working collectively our strength is maximized and that can o­nly be good news for children and a stark warning for offenders”.