The Prime Minister signed Decision No. 793/QD-TTg (dated May 10, 2016) to name July 30 as "the Day for All People to Prevent and Fight Human Trafficking".

The term "modern slavery", which includes "human trafficking", is a term used to refer to a person who is controlled, exploited and forced to do what he/she does not want to do.

Modern slavery has become the second largest crime in the world with a revenue of up to $150 billion per year.

In recent years, human trafficking has been increasingly complex, harming the health, spirit and dignity of the victim, adversely affecting morality, race, lifestyle, traditions and customs, causing insecurity and disorder.

Alarmingly, a number of rings that take Vietnamese women to China for "surrogacy services" with the price of about VND400-500 million ($19-22,000) per case have been reported by the police.

To deal with the situation, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 793/QD-TTg (dated May 10, 2016) to name July 30 as "the Day for All People to Prevent and Fight Human Trafficking", with the aim of mobilizing all resources, promoting the strength of both the political system and the entire people to prevent and control the crime of human trafficking in Vietnam.

Recently, at the meeting in response to "Day for All People to Prevent and Fight Human Trafficking", held on July 30 in the northern border province of Lang Son, a representative of the Ministry of Public Security said that from 2016 to the end of June 2019, more than 1,000 human trafficking cases were detected across the country, with over 2,600 victims sold abroad by nearly 1,500 human traffickers.

From 2016 to the end of June 2019, more than 1,000 human trafficking cases were detected across the country, with over 2,600 victims sold abroad by nearly 1,500 human traffickers.

Notably, victims in 892 cases were sold to China, accounting for 84.2% of the total number of cases, involving 1,187 traffickers and 2,319 victims. The localities with most of the human trafficking cases are northern provinces bordering China such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Quang Ninh ...

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are at least 21 million forced labor victims, many of whom are women and children. Most of these criminal gangs hide themselves in the form of worker recruitment and labor brokerage centers in Vietnam and other countries in the region.

Last year, more than 300 Vietnamese citizens were victims of human trafficking in the United Kingdom.

“Although people's awareness of the dangers of human trafficking and modern slavery is increasing, we need to make greater efforts, both nationally and internationally, to fight against this problem. We need people to be aware of the risks they will face if they are seduced by criminal gangs. We need governments to take action to arrest and prosecute criminals and to protect and support the victims,” said British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward.

Active prevention

Prevention, control of human trafficking aims for protection of human rights and social stability

Thanks to the timely response of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Border Guard Command, many victims of human trafficking have been rescued.

However, as human trafficking is forecast to develop in more complex ways, with many more sophisticated and cunning methods and tricks, to create a clear change in prevention of human trafficking in Vietnam, the first thing that needs changing is the thinking and behavior.

Therefore, communication activities are always the focus of ministries, branches and mass organizations at the central and local levels.

The relevant agencies have promoted information and education on human trafficking on all kinds of media, including modern forms of communications like social networks, organizing competitions, talks, etc. The activities are focused on the areas of high risks, particularly border provinces.

This is occurring with the active participation of grassroots cadres, educators, propagandists, people who have been updated with information, knowledge and skills about human trafficking prevention and fighting.

Thousands of clubs integrated with human trafficking prevention and control have been formed, attracting the participation of people throughout the country.

Hoa Binh