HÀ NỘI — Human trafficking is serious, complicated, and has been reported in all 63 provinces and cities across the country, said major-general Nguyễn Phong Hòa, deputy director of the General Department of Police under the Ministry of Public Security, at a conference in Hà Nội

The conference was organised on Thursday by the Ministries of Public Security and Information and Communication - and by the United Nations in Việt Nam. The first-ever “National Day against Trafficking in Persons” was launched at the event.

The launch ceremony followed Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc’s Decision. Issued on May 10, the Decision designated July 30 as the annual National Day against Trafficking in Persons, with the aim of uniting government and citizens in preventing and suppressing human trafficking on a national scale.

Colonel Lê Văn Chương, deputy director of the advisory department under the public security ministry, said at the conference that human trafficking continued to be a complicated and challenging issue. The number of trafficking incidents continued to rise, as shown by an 11.6% increase in 2011-15, compared to previously.

Not only women and girls, but also men, newborns and foetuses, are trafficked.

Human trafficking stems from gender inequality, economic crisis, unemployment, lack of public awareness, poor education about the problem, and a manpower shortage to curb it, according to Chương.

On average, Việt Nam documents 500 cases  of human trafficking involving more than 1,000 people per year. Those trafficked then become victims of forced marriages and illegal workers in foreign countries.

A representative of the United Nations in Việt Nam said at the event that trafficking in human beings is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. One-third of those trafficked are from Southeast Asia. The United Nations is committed to supporting the government of Việt Nam in combating human trafficking: by assisting the government to fulfill its international commitments - and by supporting co-operation between governments to tackle this crime.

In 2011-15, government authorities investigated more than 2,200 cases of human trafficking, arrested 3,300 offenders, and rescued about 5,500 victims of trafficking, the public security ministry said.

At the beginning of last year, the National Steering Committee on Crime Prevention and Combat issued a plan to provide instructions to ministries, agencies and local authorities to implement human trafficking prevention activities.

Under the plan, projects, programmes and conferences on human trafficking prevention and control will be held across the country.

The information and communication ministry will provide directions to the press and media agencies about developing new specialised columns, sections, news articles, reporting, and documentaries to deliver public messages on counter-trafficking measures.

Censuses and national surveys on victims of trafficking will also be conducted. — VNS