Participants at a review workshop on victim protection under the National Plan of Action on Combating and Preventing Human Trafficking 2021- 2025 held in HCM City on August 9. Photo courtesy of IOM in Việt Nam

HCM CITY — The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reaffirmed its support for Việt Nam to combat human trafficking and enhance protections for victims at a workshop held in HCM City on Wednesday.

Speaking at the review workshop on victim protection under the National Plan of Action on Combating and Preventing Human Trafficking 2021-2025, Park Mihyung, IOM’s Chief of Mission, commended the Việt Nam Government’s unwavering dedication to tackling human trafficking.

She also highlighted the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' crucial role in the proactive engagement with other ministries and agencies at central and provincial levels for streamlined coordination and referrals for more effective victim protection.

“As we look towards 2025 with a vision to 2030, we must use this moment to renew our commitment to the objectives of the National Human Trafficking Prevention and Control Programme and spare no effort in the next few years to accelerate its implementation,” she said.

“IOM will continue to work with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and other partners to make this happen, to explore and test the reintegration support-service models that could maximize available resources and address the complicated and comprehensive needs of persons in vulnerable situations,” she added.

At the workshop, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs confirmed that 40 provinces are piloting the Inter-Ministerial Guideline on Inter-Agency Coordination.

Nguyễn Thùy Dương, deputy director general of the Department of Social Vices Prevention and Combat, said no single agency or country could effectively prevent and combat human trafficking without international cooperation.

"The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs recognises the partnership and appreciates the active support of IOM in human trafficking prevention and combat as well as victim protection and support," she said.

The department and IOM recently developed a standard screening toolkit and a reintegration model, focusing on livelihood support for victims of trafficking and migrants in vulnerable situations, she added.

Since 2017, IOM has been supporting the ministry and provincial partners to pilot and test various reintegration support models including a community-based reintegration model that had successfully supported 179 people through community self-help groups in Bắc Giang, Huế and Tây Ninh as well as 550 people under combined models of individualised reintegration support and community-based models in Quảng Bình, Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An.

Moreover, to leverage community-based organisations for continued outreach as well as proactive referrals for victim identification and support, five One-Stop Service Offices were established in partnership with the Việt Nam Women’s Union in Hà Nội, Hải Dương, Hải Phòng, Cần Thơ and Hậu Giang.

Through partnership and strengthened coordination, progress has been made in victim protection, with more frontline officers and social workers trained with standardised tools and guidelines for streamlined assistance and referrals, leading to more people having been assisted.

As the tactics used by traffickers are getting more sophisticated, particularly with increasing fraudulent online recruitment practices that are more difficult to detect and disrupt, the number of trafficked victims and those in need of protection also continues to increase. There still remain areas to be discussed for improved implementation and updated policies. —VNS