Disemination of SOP in providing support and refferal to services for survivors of violence and human trafficking (Oversea)

This is the way to professionalize and improve the quality of remote support and counseling activities, especially to help women who are victims of violence/trafficking abroad to access essential services in a best way.

Document launch workshop held on June 28, 2023 in Hanoi, under the project " Improve the availability and ease of access of emergency support services for women and children who are victims of violence amid the Covid-19 Pandemic", sponsored by UN Women Vietnam.

Delegates take souvenir photos at the Document Launching Workshop on June 28, 2023

Opportunities and risks of migrant workers

According to the World Migration report of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in 2020 the number of international migrants globally will be 281 million. The ASEAN region has 10.2 million international migrants, of which women account for 46.8%. There are many different reasons for the movement of people between countries such as studying, getting married, adopting children... but the main reason is looking for a job abroad. 

With more than 150,000 Vietnamese workers going abroad to work every year, a third of them are women, Vietnam is in the top 10 countries receiving the most remittances in the world and ranked 2nd in the Asia-Pacific region, showing the economic significance of labor migration. 

However, female migrant workers also face more challenges and barriers than their male counterparts. For example, women working as domestic workers are often not protected by law in their home countries. Language barriers, cultural differences, and social prejudices against migrants increase the risk of violence, labor exploitation and trafficking. 

Women and girls are also the main targets and victims of human trafficking crimes. According to reports of units and localities, in the 2016-2020 period, 1,266 cases of human trafficking were detected, with 1,690 subjects, scamming 2,956 victims to work abroad. This is just the tip of the iceberg because there are many cases of women going abroad to get married on their own, or being deceived to go abroad to get married.

A unified help process document is urgently needed

Mrs. Caroline T. Nyamayemomb. Acting Chief Representative of UN Women's Office in Vietnam speaks at the Workshop

In her Workshop speech, Mrs. Caroline T. Nyamayemomb, Acting Chief Representative The UN Women's Office in Viet Nam, affirms, in this context, timely, clear and accurate access to crisis support information for any woman or girl who has been or is currently Experiencing physical, sexual or other forms of violence, wherever the victim is, day or night, is paramount. And the development of the SOP as an important effort to close the gap in the delivery of services to support victims of violence abroad, offers great opportunities for victims of violence and trafficking told protected and their dignity respected. 

Mrs. Duong Thi Ngoc Linh, Member of the Central Presidium of the Vietnam Women's Union - Director of the Center for Women and Development, speaking at the opening of the Workshop

Mrs. Duong Thi Ngoc Linh, Member of the Central Presidium of the Vietnam Women's Union - Director of the Center for Women and Development, also shared, in the process of developing, absorbing and completing the document "Guide on the process of ways to support and transfer services for women experiencing violence/trafficking abroad (SOP for hotline staff)", the Center has received a lot of comments and suggestions from domestic workers. Direct support for victims to experts, representatives of ministries and agencies.

Some outstanding issues were raised such as: Migrants are not fluent in foreign languages, do not know who to call, do not know how to proceed with legal procedures when facing problems abroad; The switchboard officers faced many difficulties and confusion when receiving calls for help from victims of domestic violence/trafficking such as how to handle, coordinate and transfer services. How is the support? After the victims return home, how do they support and provide essential services to help them settle down soon? 

The issues raised show that it is clearly necessary to have detailed instructions for hotline staff on the process, how to support and transfer services for women experiencing violence/trafficking abroad.

Seminar "Connecting referrals to support victims of violence and trafficking abroad"

Within the framework of the Launching Ceremony, there was also a seminar with the content "Connecting referrals to support victims of violence and trafficking abroad", talking with 4 experts including:

+ Representative of Vietnam Bar Association: Lawyer Doan Van Ha - Vice Chairman of Hanoi Bar Association

+ Representatives of NGOs working in the field of supporting Vietnamese migrants: Mrs. Dang Thi Hanh - ASEAN ACT Program Manager in Vietnam

+ Representatives of agencies operating hotlines: Mrs. Pham Thu Huong – Manager of Farmers Union Hotline 18001768

+ Representative of overseas Vietnamese associations:  Mrs. Le Thuong – Vice President of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Japan.

The content of the seminar pointed out the necessity and urgency of the document guiding the process, how to support and transfer services for women experiencing violence/trafficking abroad, for hotline staff, shelters and related agencies/organizations. Therefore, this document compiled by the Center for Women and Development will be a "salvation" for the staff, helping them to work in the right process and more effectively.

And right after the document launch workshop, the Center for Women and Development organized a training program on how to use this document in 2 days, June 28 and 29, 2023 for 30 social workers, consultants of hotlines of Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, Da Nang, Can Tho, Hai Duong, HCMC, staff of OSSO Offices, World Vision Organization, Children's Rights Protection Association, Child Protection Fund, Call Center 111, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, etc…