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Support Trafficking Victims through Inter-Agency Cooperation in Vietnam: Achievements and Limitations

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Abstract

In Vietnam, hundreds of trafficked persons are officially identified and returned to Vietnamese society each year. There are also a large number of self-returned victims who have not been identified. Because of the devastating impact of human trafficking, victims need special care from communities and government agencies to support their recovery. The Vietnamese government has applied a wide range of strategies during the victim support process. Cooperation between governmental agencies has been increasingly recognised as an essential factor in the responses to human trafficking. However, there are still significant gaps in the research on inter-agency collaboration to support victims in Vietnam. This paper draws on the interviewees’ perspectives on the victim support measures, their successes, and limitations.

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Notes

  1. The law entitled Law on Human Trafficking Prevention and Combat, Law No 66/2011/QH12, was passed by the Vietnamese National Assembly on 29 March 2011 and entered into force on 1 January 2012

  2. The National Plan of Action against Crime of Trafficking in Children and Women during 2004–2010 (Vietnam) attachment to the Prime Minister’s Decision No 130/2004/QD-TTg dated 14 July 2004, National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking period 2011–2015 (Vietnam) attachment to the Prime Minister’s Decision No 1427/QĐ-TTg dated 18 August 2011, National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking period 2016–2020 (Vietnam) attachment to the Prime Minister’s Decision No 2546/QĐ-TTg dated 31 December 2015.

  3. The amount was identified in following law documents:

    Circular 116/2007/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH, dated 27 September 2007: VND 750,000 [USD 35].

    Circular 134/2013/TTLT-BTC-BLĐTBXH, dated 25 September 2013: VND 1,000,000 [USD 50].

  4. The regulations include:

    - Decree No. 09/2013/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Anti-Trafficking Law 2011; approved by Government of Vietnam on 11 January 2013 and entered into force on 15 April 2013.

    - Circular 134/2013/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH on Purposes and levels of expenditures on victims’ assistance mentioned in the decree No. 09/2013/ND-CP dated 11/01/2013, which provides guidelines for the Anti-Trafficking Law 2011 (MOLISA and Ministry of Finance (MOF) 2013).

    - Circular 113/2010/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH, which amended, revised and supplemented Circular 116 on Spending guidance and levels for identifying, receiving, and supporting women and children trafficked to other countries (MOLISA and MOF 2010).

    - Circular 116/2007/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH on Policies and compensation for identification, verification, reception, and reintegration assistance (MOLISA and MOF 2007).

  5. From 2010 to the present, 1 USD (United States Dollar) equalled 19,000 to 22,000 VND (Vietnamese Dong) respectively. This paper converts 20,000 VND into one USD which should be helpful for international readers.

  6. The IOM supported the establishment of assessment centres in Lao Cai (a northern border province) and An Giang (MOLISA 2014; Trees et al. 2012).

    Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire (AFESIP) (Acting for Women in Distressing Situations) in Vietnam assisted the VWU in establishing shelters in Ho Chi Minh and Can Tho (a southern city) (MOLISA 2015; Hoang 2013).

    UNICEF supported the Border Guard Command to run a shelter in Mong Cai (a northern border province) (MOLISA 2015; Hoang 2013).

    Pacific Links Foundation supported MOLISA to establish an “Open House” in An Giang (DOLISA An Giang 2014).

  7. The preferential treatment policy was accorded to families who had war-dead, disabled military men or women; aged lonely people; and so on.

  8. The programmes used piggy banks to keep money which was contributed by the public. Periodically, people smashed the piggy banks and used the money for public purposes.

  9. The regulations include:

    - Circular 134/2013/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH on Purposes and levels of expenditures on victims’ assistance mentioned in the decree No. 09/2013/ND-CP dated 11/01/2013, which provides guidelines for the Anti-Trafficking Law 2011 (MOLISA and MOF 2013).

    - Circular 113/2010/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH, which amended, revised and supplemented Circular 116 on Spending guidance and levels for identifying, receiving, and supporting women and children trafficked to other countries (MOLISA and MOF 2010).

    - Circular 116/2007/TTLT-BTC-BLDTBXH on Policies and compensation for identification, verification, reception, and reintegration assistance (MOLISA and MOF 2007).

  10. In Vietnam, the Gross Domestic Product per person in 1 month is around 280 USD for urban areas and 150 USD for rural sites (information available on General Statistics Office of Viet Nam website, accessed on 15th August 2019, https://www.gso.gov.vn/Default_en.aspx?tabid=491)

  11. The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies was “established under Premier’s Decision No. 131/2002QD-TTg dated 4th October 2002 and the Government’s Decree No. 78/ND-CP dated 4th October 2002 on providing credit for the poor and other policy beneficiaries; based upon the re-organization of the Bank for the Poor and separation from Vietnam Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development for purpose of detaching policy lending from commercial lending. The bank is regarded as an efficient tool of the Government in mobilising various resources domestically and internationally to perform the designated socio-policy lending programmes of the Government”. For more information, access VBSP website: http://www.vbsp.org.vn/evbsp/view_content.php?mamm=10

  12. See section Medical and Psychological Support for more information.

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Funding

This study was funded by Queensland University of Technology for doing PhD thesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. People’s Police University – Vietnam, 36 Nguyen Huu Tho, District 7, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

    Thanh Hung Tran

  2. Queensland University of Technology – Australia, 2 George St, Brisbane City, QLD, 4000, Australia

    Tien Hoang Le

  3. People’s Police Academy – Vietnam, Co Nhue, Bac Tu Liem District, Ha Noi city, Vietnam

    Thi Phuong Diep Tran

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  1. Thanh Hung Tran
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Correspondence to Tien Hoang Le.

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Tran, T.H., Le, T.H. & Tran, T.P.D. Support Trafficking Victims through Inter-Agency Cooperation in Vietnam: Achievements and Limitations. Asian J Criminol 15, 321–344 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11417-020-09318-z

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