US embassy cable - 04HANOI1724

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001724 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, EAP/BCLTV, EAP/RSP, INL/AAE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KWMN, KCRM, ELAB, VM, OMIG, TIP 
SUBJECT: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN VIETNAM'S TIP EFFORTS 
 
 
1.  (U) Summary: Vietnam continues to take more direct steps 
to combat trafficking in persons (TIP), in part with 
assistance from the international community.  New and 
ongoing strategies include: the creation of anti-trafficking 
police units in local provinces; a large-scale media and 
education campaign on both sides of the China-Vietnam 
border; the release of the first comprehensive statistical 
report on trafficking in Vietnam; and final stages to 
approve a national strategy for combating TIP.  End Summary. 
 
IMPROVING AWARENESS AND ENFORCEMENT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
2.  (U) According to UNICEF/Hanoi's Nguyen Thi Ha, 
ineffective enforcement of current laws against sexual 
exploitation and the trafficking of women and children by 
local government officials remains a major problem, despite 
the central government's efforts to ensure compliance. 
Troels Vester, of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime staff in 
Hanoi, separately attributed this uneven performance to lack 
of awareness by local officials about trafficking generally 
and about Vietnamese laws prohibiting trafficking 
specifically. 
 
3.  (U) Beginning in August 2003, UNODC has spearheaded a 
USG-funded campaign to educate select law enforcement 
officers, prosecutors, judges, and other officials in Hanoi, 
Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Tay Ninh on trafficking. 
In April 2004, the formal training sessions for these 
officials took place.  Presentations and workshops discussed 
topics including: the difference between human trafficking 
and smuggling of migrants; victim protection during trial; 
mutual legal assistance; and investigation principles.  Pre- 
and post-training questionnaires tested participants' 
awareness of these issues; results showed that "participants 
improved significantly during the training," Vester said. 
 
4.  (U) Encouraged by the success of the UNODC campaign, the 
Ministry of Public Security (MPS) recently decided to set up 
dedicated anti-trafficking police units in local provinces, 
funded entirely by the GVN.  Exact size, composition, and 
location of these units have yet to be determined. 
According to Vester, UNODC will likely work with MPS on the 
implementation phase of the project, with the first units 
expected to be put in place by the end of the year.  The 
goal is for these operations to expand to all 63 provinces 
of Vietnam. 
 
5.  (U) From June 26 to July 3, UNODC and ten high-level GVN 
officials, including the Commissioner of Police, will meet 
with counterparts in Australia to discuss Australian anti- 
trafficking efforts as a model to develop these new anti- 
trafficking units in Vietnam.  According to Vester, the trip 
will be funded in part by the government of Australia as an 
attempt to increase high-level, bilateral talks on a variety 
of issues. 
 
UNICEF'S MASS MEDIA AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN 
------------------------------------------ 
 
6.  (U) In addition, UNICEF, the governments of Vietnam and 
China, the Vietnam Women's Union, and the Women's Union of 
China recently kicked off a joint mass communications effort 
to educate people and local government leaders on 
trafficking, tactics used by traffickers, signs to detect 
persons being trafficked, and related issues.  The campaign 
also addresses the protection of victims, including health 
checks for repatriated victims, training on how to counsel 
trafficked persons, and workshops on local laws regarding 
sexual exploitation and the trafficking of women and 
children.  UNICEF's goals for the campaign are to reduce 
cross border trafficking and to create a social movement 
against trafficking. 
 
7.  (U) The UNICEF-led campaign will take place in Vietnam 
and China simultaneously, with the same materials (in 
different languages) used in both countries.  In Vietnam, 
the campaign is concentrated in Quang Ninh, Lang Son, and 
Lai Chau provinces in the north and An Giang and Dong Tap 
provinces in the south.  UNICEF's Ha estimated that the 
campaign would reach approximately 4000 Vietnamese people 
directly and millions more indirectly, through television, 
radio, and newspaper announcements.  Less than one month 
into the project, an estimated US $50,000 has already gone 
into the campaign.  The campaign is in part funded by UNICEF 
and is expected to last until the year's end. 
 
8.  (U) The mass education campaign grew from bilateral 
talks regarding increasing trafficking activities in border 
areas of Vietnam and China.  Annual meetings over the issue 
began in 2001.  Last year's bilateral talks resulted in five 
"unofficial" agreements, one of which is the communications 
campaign facilitated by UNICEF.  No "official" agreements 
have yet resulted, but Ha predicted that this first-ever 
joint communication campaign between Vietnam and China will 
encourage the two countries to sign a Memorandum of 
Understanding on combating sexual exploitation and the 
trafficking of women and children. 
 
MPS STATISTICAL REPORT ON TRAFFICKING IN VIETNAM 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
9.  (U) Working with Cooperazione Italiana and UNICEF, the 
MPS also recently released the first comprehensive 
statistical report on trafficking in Vietnam.  The report 
gathered statistics through June 2003 in 17 key provinces 
and cities throughout Vietnam: Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, 
Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Ha Tay, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, 
Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, An Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, 
and Can Tho provinces, as well as in two districts located 
along the China border in Lai Chau province.  According to 
UNICEF and UNODC officials, the actual number of people 
being trafficked is likely significantly greater than in the 
report, which focused only on cases confirmed by the police. 
(MPS has explicitly acknowledged this weakness in the 
report.)  A detailed analysis of the report will follow 
septel. 
 
2010 PROGRAM OF ACTION ON TRAFFICKING 
------------------------------------- 
 
10.  (U) The 5th plenary session of the 9th National 
Assembly, which concluded on June 15, discussed the current 
draft of the 2010 National Program of Action on Trafficking 
in Persons, according to Nghiem Phong Vu of the Office of 
the National Assembly.  Further coordination between MPS and 
the Chinese Bureau of State Security will be necessary 
before the draft is final, but the process has moved 
forward, Vu said.  UNODC and UNICEF officials are optimistic 
about its ratification. 
 
11. (U) The general objective of the new strategy is to 
"create changes in awareness and action of different levels, 
departments and the whole society on prevention and 
combating against trafficking of women and children. . ." 
It includes four main proposals: 
- To increase regular advocacy and education at the 
community level, particularly in high-risk areas. 
Designating the Vietnam Women's Union as the lead agency on 
this objective, the plan assumes that advocacy and education 
will "integrate the advocacy of the prevention of crimes and 
social evils, develop cultural families, healthy communes. . 
. [and provide] support [and] counselling for families of 
victims, women and children who are vulnerable;" 
- To "focus on prevention activities, identification, 
investigation and sanction on traffickers. . ."  The MPS is 
designated the lead agency for this effort; 
- To heighten monitoring at border points.  The Border Guard 
Commanding Bureau will be in charge of conducting, 
receiving, and transferring traffickers and trafficking 
victims; 
- To strengthen the existing legal framework prohibiting 
trafficking.  Vietnam will conduct research on current laws 
on trafficking and related issues such as marriage, 
adoption, tourism, and labor export in order to address 
loopholes that traffickers might easily exploit. 
 
12. (U) Comment:  These recent developments show a continued 
willingness by the GVN to allocate additional law 
enforcement resources to address trafficking.  The GVN's 
interest in and need for international assistance and 
significant bilateral cooperation with China remain high, 
however.  USG funding, currently through UNODC, is already 
making a positive difference in GVN performance and local 
attitudes. 
PORTER