Nghe An discovered 1,800 cases of illegal labor exit to China.

Alarming numbers

Meeting Ms. Lo Thi May, in Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong), we were really happy for her because not only has her health stabilized, but the local government and mass organizations have also helped her get preferential loans to invest in business and develop the economy. Now Ms. May has an income from 2 hectares of acacia, 2 hectares of xoan, along with raising buffalo and cows. This is very different from the time she first returned from China in April 2014, when she was even afraid to interact with people.

Ms. May recalls: “Because I listened to the enticement to go to China for an easy job, earning at least 8 million VND per month, I thought that after a few years there, I would have capital to help my family. Unexpectedly, when I arrived in China, because I did not have immigration papers and the language barrier, I had to live in hiding to “hide” from the local police. I worked for nearly ten hours a day in a small village in Fujian province, but only earned 3-4 million VND, not to mention being owed wages...”.

Ms. Lo Thi May (second from left) is currently a propagandist in Tam Bong village, Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district. Photo: D.C.

Faced with the "unrealistic" reality, after many months of hesitation, Ms. May decided to run away and luckily escaped. According to Ms. May, there are many people in the same situation as her, many of whom cannot find their way home because they do not know the way or the language...

According to statistics from Xiangyang District Police, up to now, the whole district has 2,928 people working illegally abroad, of which Tam Quang has 145 people, most of them are in China. This situation is not only in Xiangyang but according to the Immigration Management Department (Provincial Police), among the localities with a large number of illegal workers going abroad (mainly to China, Laos, Thailand), we must also mention Quy Chau, Quy Hop...

Also from that reality, recently, the People's Committee of Lang Son province has issued a document notifying the People's Committee of Nghe An province about the increasing illegal entry and exit of Nghe An citizens to China to work, work for hire, and participate in transporting goods across border trails.

According to Official Dispatch No. 69/UBND-NC dated April 4, 2019 of the People's Committee of Lang Son province, in 2018 and the first quarter of 2019 alone, the Border Guard of Lang Son province discovered, propagandized, explained, and requested 165 Nghe An citizens who intended to illegally exit the country to return; at the same time, received 30 Nghe An citizens who illegally entered China and were returned by the Chinese police.

For example, the case of Ms. Vo Thi Sam (born in 1983), Mr. Lo Van Duy (born in 1983), and Mr. Lo Van Khoa (born in 1984), all residing in Mon Son commune, Con Cuong district, who were arrested by Bac Son Border Guard Station (Quang Ninh Border Guard) in early February this year, is similar. All three people were instructed by some subjects to go with three other people to illegally cross the border to China to work for a wood processing factory to save money. However, while walking along the riverbank at marker 1366(2) + 300m in zone 7, Hai Yen ward, Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province, they were discovered and arrested by the patrol team of Bac Son Border Guard Station.

It can be seen that the increase in illegal labor migration to other countries is the result of many different causes. Most of them are people without stable jobs; small production land area, low economic efficiency, life facing many difficulties. On the other hand, the level of awareness still has certain limitations, so it is easy to be lured by bad elements or listen to the enticement of predecessors...

According to information given at the Workshop "Migration Information Office: Good practices and new migration trends" organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Department of Overseas Labor Management (under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) in coordination with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province on the morning of May 7, 2019, there are still 12,435 Nghe An workers working in border areas without labor contracts according to the provisions of the Law on Vietnamese Workers Working Abroad.

In addition, there are 1,014 workers working in border areas and exporting labor without contracts as prescribed, mainly concentrated in Laos, China and Thailand.

Need a synchronous solution

The consequences of the increase in illegal workers leaving the country are huge. Without legal documents, workers have to live in hiding to avoid being caught by the authorities, living and eating conditions are miserable, working an average of 10 hours a day in a harsh environment, not having a labor contract and enjoying insurance benefits, so when they get sick or have an accident, they are not examined or compensated according to the rights of workers, some have had to pay with their lives.

Nghe An Provincial Border Guard officers check and control people entering and exiting the country at Nam Can International Border Gate. Photo: D.C.

According to Mr. Lo Thanh Nhat - Vice Chairman of Tuong Duong District People's Committee: Every year, the district organizes propaganda to raise people's awareness in complying with the law on national borders, regulations on entry and exit, etc. But partly because people's lives are still difficult and their understanding of the law is limited, the prevention effectiveness is not high.

Major Tran Dinh Minh - Head of the Exit Management Team, Immigration Management Department of the Provincial Police said: In 2018 alone, the authorities discovered 1,800 cases of illegal labor exit to China. Since then, 422 cases have been handled, mainly through Laos and China.

According to Major Tran Dinh Minh, in addition to coordinating with other forces to promptly detect and handle cases of illegal exit, for cases of citizens illegally entering the country who were arrested by China and deported back to Vietnam, we have worked with local police to verify, conduct meetings and contacts, thereby clarifying the purpose and motive, as well as mobilizing to denounce cases of organizing, brokering, and leading people to illegally exit the country.

Officers of Hanh Dich Border Guard Station (Nghe An Provincial Border Guard) propagate and disseminate the law to people in Hanh Dich commune, Que Phong district. Photo: D.C.

Colonel Hoang Van Hung, Deputy Political Commissar of the Provincial Border Guard, said that in order to prevent illegal exit, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda work so that people can clearly understand the regulations on exit and entry as well as the consequences and risks that may occur so that people can be vigilant and avoid being taken advantage of.

On the side of the border guard force, it will regularly direct units to perform well in border diplomacy, coordinate with functional forces of neighboring countries to exchange information, resolve incidents occurring at the border, and effectively carry out immigration management and control.

The province always cares and creates the best conditions for workers to work abroad, especially in terms of policies and loans for poor workers and policy families.

Along with that, attracting many units and businesses to participate in recruiting Nghe An workers to work abroad, publicizing and making transparent the market, salary regime, and income of workers. However, with low education level, the mindset of being afraid of learning a trade, afraid of difficulties, and the recruitment side having increasingly strict requirements, it becomes a big barrier.

Meanwhile, what attracts people to leave the country illegally is that each trip does not cost much, does not require a degree, vocational certificate...

Dang Cao Thang - Deputy Director of Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs

From the above reality, it is thought that in order to gradually prevent and push back the situation of illegal labor exit, contributing to maintaining security and order in border areas, it is necessary to implement many synchronous solutions, with the drastic participation of social organizations, sectors and levels from the border to the inland.

In parallel with promoting propaganda work, raising awareness and self-consciousness of law compliance among people, the authorities need to strengthen population inspection and management.

Localities pay attention to vocational training, counseling, job introduction, building economic models, diversifying preferential credit support... for people in mountainous areas, especially border areas, so that people have conditions to develop production, increase income, and settle down on their homeland.

People who illegally exit or enter the country will be administratively sanctioned according to Article 17, Decree 167/2013 of the Government, specifically: Fine from 3 to 5 million VND for crossing the border without completing exit and entry procedures as prescribed; Fine from 15 to 25 million VND for helping, harboring, concealing, creating conditions for others to go abroad, stay abroad and Vietnam, stay in Vietnam or cross the national border illegally.

Article 349 of the Penal Code stipulates: Anyone who organizes or brokers another person to flee abroad or stay abroad illegally shall be sentenced to imprisonment from 1 year to 5 years; committing the crime multiple times or causing serious or very serious consequences shall be sentenced to imprisonment from 5 years to 10 years; committing the crime causing especially serious consequences shall be sentenced to imprisonment from 7 years to 15 years.