Women Trafficking In Vietnam

Vietnam and Human Trafficking



Vietnam is a country in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, China, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic comprise the region. Many of these countries are still in development and face numerous social, technological, and political challenges (Rydstrm 683).



Unique Characteristics of Human Trafficking in Vietnam



Vietnamese migrants were mostly drawn from ex-socialist countries in Eastern Europe before the social and political reforms of the 1990s. Later on, in 1994, women and young girls were trafficked to Lebanon, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Korea, and Japan. In 2002, Malaysia became the major destination after the changes in Vietnamese labor migrants. They were mainly trafficked for prostitution or to domestic work in cities within the country (Nguyen 2003 26).



Human trafficking has been discussed internationally and nationally but continues to be a significant threat. Trafficking of women is a problem in Vietnam and is a serious problem emanating from multiple factors, which need to be addressed by the government as well as international bodies.



Trends in Human Trafficking in Vietnam



The problem of human trafficking is on an upward trend in Vietnam. According to the data availed by the Ministry of Public Security, between the 2011 and 2014, the country experienced a surge of about 11% in the number of human trafficking cases (Lovett). However, activists estimate that the figure could be much higher, as the government is reluctant to record the actual number of the victims of human trafficking. Compared to men across the country, the number of women trafficked is slightly lower. However, this does not mean that the attention of the government should be focused on the men. The efforts towards the elimination of the problem should be aggressive enough to cater for both genders. Based on the data availed by the MPS, significant milestones were reached between 2011 and 2014. Specifically, up to 5000 rescues have been made (Lovett). In addition, the number of convictions from dropped by nearly half from 2014 to 2017. However, the government should look at the root causes of the issues of women trafficking and come up with comprehensive policies to mitigate the problem.



Causes of Human Trafficking in Vietnam



Unemployment is the major cause of human trafficking in Vietnam due to the high rate of poverty in the country. Vietnam has a history of wars due to political instabilities and her dominance by America over the past many decades. As a result, there is an economic surge, which has caused poverty. As a result, the majority of women and young girls are lured with employment offers by various cartels who pretend to be their agents for personal profits, and then sell them to the big cities within Vietnam or to other countries following three ways. The route to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Macau, Southern provinces to Cambodia, and lastly Northern provinces of China. Once they are trafficked, they are forced by their employers to do commercial sex and domestic chores to earn a living (Rushing and Watts).



Lack of Education



Additionally, women trafficking in Vietnam is promoted by lack of education among Vietnamese women. Majority of Vietnamese are illiterate especially the female gender because of their customs and norms. Also, the country has been a habitat for violence and wars hence very few people are educated. As a result, the majority of people has continued to languish in poverty due to lack of work skills and experiences (Nguyen and Anh 132). In spite of this, life must go on. Hence, the majority of women are lured into trafficking with the assurance of livelihood. Other women roaming in towns have been kidnapped and sent to other places for personal profits. Also, various families force their daughters into early marriages due to lack of education and poverty to improve their economic situation and try to earn a living through dowry.



Lack of Awareness



Vietnamese women continue to suffer from women trafficking due to lack of awareness. Human trafficking is illegal worldwide, and the UN Protocol on Human rights has outlined preventive measures to curb this activity. Majority of Vietnamese are negligent on this because of the lack of awareness portraying the dangers of human trafficking. As a result, many women and young girls have found themselves in the act, without knowing the repercussions involved, only what they know is that indulging in forced prostitution and domestic works are their only means of livelihood. The government of Vietnamese has also failed big in educating her citizens about dangers that may result from trafficking. It is alleged that the government officials take a bribe from the traffickers for protection against organizations willing to educate the public on the dangers of human trafficking.



Family Conflicts



Family conflicts have also contributed to the growth of human trafficking in Vietnam. Divorces and hatred among family members have caused family disintegration with the female gender most affected. Also, same outcomes of family conflicts were deaths from murders and poverty. Due to the situations of the family, the victims ran away from their homes in search of new homes and livelihood hence lured by the illegal agents of good things in life and trafficked them to brothels in the cities or outside the country. Vietnam also attracts tourists who come to enjoy the sexual workers sexually for money (Dutton 23). Due to internal family wrangles female gender run away to brothels and other sexual places in search of opportunities. They are motivated by the need to propel their future lives and to support the other family members.



Regional Conflicts and National Disasters



Conflicts, as well as regional, national disasters, also contributed to women trafficking in Vietnam. Vietnam has faced a number of conflicts over the past years from the neighboring counties and America. People were migrated into these counties from Vietnam to work as domestic works and in the industries (Truong 18). The outcome resulted in the sexual exploitations by their masters. Internal conflicts between the rebel groups and the government triggered wars that forced people to migrate from their homes and as a result were forced to indulge in commercial sex business by various cartels who only wanted to make money from this act (Davies 102). Floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis also destroyed part of the country leaving people homeless and the only way of survival being forced prostitution and domestic labor, with flooding constituting 37 percent of all disasters. This forced women to look for foreign work permits through the traffickers.



Open Borders and Corruption



According to Davies (102), open and shared police borders continue to contribute to women trafficking in Vietnam. The level of governmental officials and the police to stop trafficking is currently low. There are reports that the border police guards take bribes to allow movement of people from one country to the other. The open borders between Vietnam and her neighbors also promote trafficking of people from one country to the other illegally. Some individuals have also been reported that they make illegal passports to the traffickers so that the victims can cross borders without being noticed as illegal movement. In 2007, the Vietnamese government issued a Decision number 17, on how to assist receiving of victims from abroad but the police and the official responsible for this ended up violating the victims by manipulating their employment terms to force them to labor in their worksites.



Solutions to prevent women trafficking in Vietnam



Multiple options are available for the government to eliminate cases of women trafficking in the country. The Vietnamese government must raise awareness campaigns to inform people the risks associated with trafficking. Secondly, the government should provide formal primary education to her citizens for them to fit in the job market by discouraging the existing gender discrimination in the education system and from her customs and morals. Thirdly, the government and other Non-Governmental Organizations to help people to earn a living through job creations and encouragement to venture into a money generating businesses instead of being trafficked should start training programs poverty alleviation projects. Fifth, the Vietnamese government must implement the existing policies and laws against human trafficking to the fullest without bribes and favors. Sixth, the Vietnam borders must be protected and fenced to discourage the rising number of human trading from Vietnam to other countries. Lastly, the government should plan for family planning methods to reduce population growth.



Conclusion



In conclusion, Vietnam is indeed a third world country trying to rise economically after a long struggle, and a majority of her citizens are a victim of human trafficking for commercial sex and domestic labor exploitation across the globe. The leading causes of human trafficking as identified are, unemployment, lack of education, Family conflicts Lack of awareness creation Open, shared police borders, regional conflicts, and national disasters. State-affiliated as well as private labor export companies that unlawfully exist conduct most of the trafficking operations. Therefore, the government of Vietnamese must take measures to limit the trade which on an upward trend.



Works cited



Davies, Mererid Puw. Vietnam wird zur Hure gemacht: Women, Victimhood and the Vietnam Conflict in West German Writing." German Life and Letters 64.1 (2011): 95-107.



Dutton, George. "Beyond myth and caricature: Situating women in the history of early modern Vietnam." Journal of Vietnamese Studies 8.2 (2013): 1-36.



Gardner, Lloyd C. "The American Cause in Vietnam, 1941-1965." Itinerario 22.3 (1998): 59-78. Lovett, Lorcan. Vietnam wakes up to its human trafficking problem. IRIN. 2017. https://www.irinnews.org/news/2016/09/02/vietnam-wakes-its-human-trafficking-problem



Nguyen, Cuong Viet, and Anh Tran. "Poverty identification: practice and policy implications in Vietnam." Asian‐Pacific Economic Literature 28.1 (2014): 116-136.



Rydstrøm, Helle. "Encountering "hot" anger: Domestic violence in contemporary Vietnam." Violence Against Women9.6 (2003): 676-697.



Truong, Thi Thuy Hang. "Women's leadership in Vietnam: Opportunities and challenges." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 34.1 (2008): 16-21.

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